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Soon, the end of turnstiles in the subway!

undefined undefined 28 janvier 2025 undefined 12h00

undefined undefined 28 janvier 2025 undefined 15h22

The Editor

© Tupungato / Shutterstock

After the little revolution that took place with transportation tickets at the beginning of 2025, another major change is on the way: the upcoming disappearance of the turnstiles inaugurated by Jacques Chirac on December 9, 1980. A page is turning in the history of the Paris metro as the famous tripods will become stationary.

They may be iconic to the Paris metro, but the anti-fraud turnstiles installed at the station entrances can sometimes feel like a nightmare. Between those that get stuck, those that don’t turn, and those whose doors are jammed, it’s not always easy to get to the other side and reach your platform calmly. And let’s not even mention the automatic double doors with their rubber edges that can quickly become a facial destruction weapon. Luckily, this ordeal might not last much longer, as brand new passages are set to be introduced soon.


An obstacle long overdue for retirement

It’s been nearly 45 years that they’ve been serving us as best as they can. But today, the verdict is clear: it’s high time they take their bow. The metal turnstiles and automatic doors we all know have more than overstayed their welcome, and... today have way too many flaws. Borrowing them while your arms are loaded, maneuvering a stroller or a suitcase is a real challenge. Even worse, far too many stations currently do not have a wide enough access to let through people with reduced mobility (PRM).


New Modern and Accessible Doors

A disastrous situation, well-known and acknowledged by Jean Castex, president of the RATP, for a long time. In spring 2023, he even described these accesses as a « nightmare ». And while he has long announced his intention to replace them, he recently expressed his desire to accelerate the transformation by replacing the turnstiles with much smoother glass doors, which will create « less congestion and an optimization of flow, in addition to bringing more comfort », stated the RATP.

It’s a large-scale project that’s on the horizon, as the agency plans to replace 450 entrances in around 30 stations by 2029. While the rollout is still pending the signing of an agreement with Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), it shouldn’t pose too many issues, according to the group led by Valérie Pécresse, fully aware that this change is necessary.


A systematic implementation moving forward

Although the renewal of existing turnstiles might take a little while, it’s worth noting that all the new stations of the Grand Paris Express will be automatically equipped with these new entrances. Similarly, some Parisian stations have already...

I had the chance to be on the good side of the Force. This is true for Montparnasse, Trocadéro, and Porte de Saint-Cloud, where around fifty gates have been changed before the Olympics. Lastly, one more piece of news: following the removal of fare zones and the introduction of the single ticket, many turnstiles located in the major stations between the RER/Transiliens and the metros will also be simply removed, simplifying all connections.