We know that the metro, with its strikes, its construction work, its sounds, and its smells, is not necessarily the most pleasant place in Paris. It's gotten to the point that it was even almost completely deserted during and after Covid. However, it seems that Parisians have finally stopped avoiding it, as its weekday crowd is almost back to what it was in 2019, and the number of users on weekends is even sometimes greater today than it was a few years ago. The result? Trains are often packed on Saturdays and Sundays, prompting RATP to take action.
Some lines more impacted than others
Since the rise of telecommuting burst into our lives a few years ago (because yes, the first confinement...
celebrates its 5th anniversary in a few days), many people, unable to travel during the week, rush into the subway lines on the weekend. And for some, it’s just a little pleasure because they’ve missed the packed trains during the week—everyone has their little addictions—but for others, it’s simply a way to get around to do their shopping.Grand Paris : les lignes 5, 9 et 12 du métro renforcées le week-end pour faire face à l’afflux de voyageurs
— Francesca (@Francesca_fr) March 10, 2025
via @le_Parisien https://t.co/tUjKdFPxFr
However, the only issue is that we are seeing a much higher passenger count on certain lines, which serve both the Paris suburbs and the most bustling shopping areas of the capital. This applies to Line 5 (Bobigny - Place d’Italie) , Line 9 (Pont de Sèvres - Mairie de Montreuil) and Line 12 (Mairie d’Aubervilliers - Mairie d’Issy). Therefore, it is on these specific lines that RATP and Île-de-France Mobilité (IDFM) have decided to take extra measures.
5% more metros
To do this, the two companies responsible for Parisian and Île-de-France transport have chosen to increase the number of trains available, aiming to limit wait times to a maximum of 3 minutes on Saturday afternoons.
, and 4 minutes 30 on Sunday. Said like that, it may not sound like a lot, but it actually means a 5% increase in the number of trains, and we think that’s better than nothing.Voir cette publication sur Instagram
The 12 line was the first to see changes, with the addition of these new trains in early March. This means trains every 3 minutes and 15 seconds on Saturdays, and every 4 minutes on Sundays. On the 5 line, it starts this weekend for trains on Sunday, and in about a month for Saturdays. From then on, the intervals between two metros will be reduced by 25 to 40 seconds. The same adjustments are expected on the 9 line. And that's great news!
Well, to be very honest with you, we would have preferred to announce that, with « more metros on the weekend », we were talking about the opening of stations all night long, but for now, we’ll have to be content with this… And that’s already pretty good!
, finally.