Just a few weeks before the municipal elections, transportation has become an essential topic in the debates. More safety for bikes, cars returning to the quays, and even the implementation of metros all night, the subjects are multiplying. The latest one? The potential merger of two metro lines, requested by several user associations before the voting begins.
Lines That Are Overlooked
In Paris, there are lines whose usefulness and quality are quite obvious. Line 14, for example. Line 14 is really great, with its new terminus at Orly, its regularity, and its speed. Others, on the other hand, sometimes leave us a bit puzzled. Like Lines 3bis and 7bis. Two lines that are definitely...they're charming, to be sure (even if they're a bit creepy, let's be honest), yet they are largely shunned by users because of their short height.
Communiqué de @Asso_usagersidf: municipales, pour la fusion des lignes de métro 3bis et 7bis@Asso_usagersidf propose de remettre sur la table des négociations la fusion des lignes de métro 3bis et 7bis avec l'ouverture de la station fantôme Haxo.
— Ferro News (@FerroNews_) March 3, 2026
D'autres travaux seront… pic.twitter.com/KoRk8bxOuW
For this reason, the Fnaut (National Federation of Users' Transport Associations) and the Transport Users' Association are calling on the different candidates running for the mayor of Paris to commit to merging the two, in order to enhance their utility, and thus increase their attractiveness and usage. This is an even more sensible association since the two lines are set to receive new equipment, starting with the MF 19 trains!
A Long-Standing Project
To highlight the validity and usefulness of this merger, the associations reminded us, in a statement published on March 3rd, that this idea is not new, and that the project has been in motion for many years. In fact, it's been going for so long that there’s even a ghost metro station...quo; ghost », Haxo, was also built between the stops Place des Fêtes and Porte des Lilas to ensure the connection, before being abandoned.
Métro Haxo, Paris pic.twitter.com/3XjaGBieGw
— Station fantôme (@Stationfantome) March 25, 2015
Setting up such a project wouldn’t require digging tunnels, but simply adding external entrances for the station, which is currently only accessible by rail. In reality, a connection between the 3bis and 7bis lines would help ease congestion on the Paris Eastern lines, which are currently overburdened, like line 11 or bus 60. It would also improve access to the Robert Debré hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in Europe. All positives, right?