dsc09791

Metro: the first summer work has been announced (and it looks tricky)!

undefined undefined undefined 12h00

The Editor

© Jagoda Bartus / Le Bonbon

This Wednesday, April 15, Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) unveiled the first summer construction projects for the public transport network in the Île-de-France region. These works are of "unprecedented scale," and are already hinting at a challenging summer ahead. Let’s take a look together at the chaos that awaits us.

As the beautiful days and the blessed May holidays approach, we also get closer to the summer season. This is fantastic news if you’re still a student and enjoy 2 months of vacation. It’s not so great if, like us, you’re going to be stuck in the capital for a good part of July and August, thanks to work, having to face the many interruptions planned for public transport.


A Summer of Struggles

Every year, it’s the same story. As soon as the sun and temperatures above 15°C return, IDFM feels compelled to dampen our joy by announcing its plans for the summer. And 2026 is no exception, as the Île-de-France company has just announced a summer that’s going to be quite complicated on the network, accompanied by recommendations.

Here are some great options for getting around: go on vacation, work from home, walk, or ride a bike, in short, avoid public transportation as much as possible, especially during peak hours. What's causing this? A construction project that « is set to become unprecedented », according to Grégoire de Lasteyrie, vice-president of IDFM. There are massive works happening due to the arrival of new trains, as well as the upcoming opening of the new lines of the Grand Paris Express. In total, there will be 4 metro lines affected, and only 1 RER line will be spared.


Interruptions to Avoid

On the metro side of things, you shouldn't rely too much on lines 4, 8, 12, and 13, which have already been ones to avoid since the beginning of the year. In detail, line 4 will be closed from July 6 to 24 between the stations les Halles and Montparnasse. Looking on the bright side, you'll get to your train faster. The 8 line will be out of service from August 20 to 27 between Balard and Concorde. And this summer also marks the beginning of the never-ending closures of the République station, since the line won't stop there starting July 22… until April 2027. There will be no trains on line 12 between Jules-Joffrin and Concorde from July 16 to 26. And finally, line 13 will be...closed from July 31 to August 17 between Saint-Denis and La Fourche.

For the RER, it's the same battle, prepare for the worst. The A line will be closed from August 8 to 23 between Vincennes (temporary terminus) and Noisy-le-Grand Mont d’Est. And to top it all off, the station Nation will be closed for a good part of the summer. On the B line, no less than 16 construction sites are expected over the summer period, with no trains running between Gare-du-Nord and Bourg-la-Reine from July 25 to August 6, between Gare-du-Nord and Croix-de-Berny from August 7 to 16, and between Gare-du-Nord and Denfert-Rochereau on August 29 and 30. On the RER C, a major construction project is expected as it will be Completely interrupted from the Austerlitz Station to the western terminals (Versailles-Château, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and Pontoise) for no less than 5 weeks, from July 15 to August 22. And we end on a high note with line D, which will be interrupted from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord from July 24 to August 16. Yay!