dsc05523

8 fun facts about the Paris Metro that you probably don't know

undefined undefined undefined 07h30

The Editor

©Jagoda Bartus/Le Bonbon

For the vast majority of Parisians, the metro is an essential part of their lives. But do we really know it? Inaugurated in 1900 for the World Expo, it’s filled with secrets, stories, and mysteries. So hold on tight, because here come the best-kept secrets of a network that transports over 5 million travelers each day.

The Scent in the Metro

At the end of the 90s, RATP tested the scent “Madeleine” in metro stations. Scents of lemon, lavender, jasmine, and musk were meant to cover up the odors of the metro, equating to 1.8 tons of perfume per month. However, due to lack of positive feedback from travelers, the project was canceled. Today, the odors in the metro are neutralized thanks to regular cleaning of the stations, modernization work, and treatment of underground infiltrations.


Chaussée d’Antin - Lafayette or an underground parking?

This one is hard to believe: in 2018, a rather distracted driver entered the metro stairs thinking he was driving into a parking garage. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

affected by this accident. But the most incredible part of this story is that six years earlier, in 2012, a car had already made this mistake… and another one will do it again in 2025 !


The Châtelet Maze Was Intentional

Whether you're a Parisian or not, you've definitely gotten lost in the corridors of Châtelet. But today, we're setting the record straight: it’s absolutely not your fault! In fact, engineers purposely created an underground maze to prevent crowd surges in one of the busiest stations in the capital.


The RER vs. Metro Conflict

If you're a regular user of the RATP, you may have noticed that the metro arrives from the left while the RER comes in from the right. As for the RER, its arrival from the right is a gift from British engineers who helped us design the surface trains. So, to ensure that no long-distance train (managed by the State) could run on the metro tracks, the local government decided to have the metro operate in reverse: a clever way to maintain control over Parisian transport.


The Paris Metro Was the First to Install an Escalator

In 1909, it was the Père Lachaise station that inaugurated the first escalator in the history of the metro. Of course, it wasn't just any modern escalators that we know today, but rather a huge wooden structure with the mechanism exposed. And while the users of that time were quite sceptical at first, history has shown us that innovation can sometimes be a wonderful thing !


The Place des Fêtes and Blanche Stations as Air Raid Shelters

In the event of an attack, imminent danger, or even wartime, the residents of Place des Fêtes and those near Blanche are surely more likely to survive than the rest of us. These stations, built between the two world wars, have been transformed into air raid shelters to protect the population. They also feature heavy armored doors to make them hermetically sealed. Maybe that's something to consider if you're thinking about moving!


Rue de Rivoli Ripped Open for Line 1

Nowadays, people complain about the modernization works on the metro. Lines are closed on Sundays, replacement buses are running, traffic stops earlier… Parisians are seeing red. But at…

At that time, the constraints were even worse. For the construction of line 1, the Rue de Rivoli was completely dug up to build the network from the surface, blocking traffic for several months. It's enough to make us put things into perspective!


Ghost Stations Abound

In Paris, there are no fewer than 13 ghost metro stations hidden beneath the surface of the earth. These stations never opened to the public because they were considered too close to others, or they closed during the Second World War due to a lack of passengers. Nevertheless, they remain fascinating witnesses to the history of the Paris metro. Among them is the Porte des Lilas station, which is now used for film shoots like Amélie.