Subway route in the French capital
Paris Métro Line 8 (French: "Ligne 8 du métro de Paris") is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It connects Balard in the southwestern part of Paris to Pointe du Lac station in the southeastern suburbs, following a parabolic route on the Rive Droite of the Seine. The last line of the original 1898 Paris Métro plan, which opened in July 1913, it was initially intended to link Porte d'Auteuil and . With 105.5 million travellers in 2017, it is the network's eighth busiest line; at in length, it is also the second longest Métro Line after Line 13, and the longest fully straight line, as line 13 has branches. Along with Line 7, it serves the most stations of any line on the network, at 38. Line 8 interchanges with all but three other Métro lines (Line 2, Line 3bis and Line 7bis).
The line was substantially modified during the 1930s as Line 10 took over the western section. The current route serves the southwestern part of the city, the Grands Boulevards and Bois de Vincennes, ending in the southeastern inner suburbs through the communes of Charenton-le-Pont, Maisons-Alfort and Créteil, which the line reached in 1974 at Créteil–Préfecture station, after several extensions. The underground line was the first to connect the prefecture of one of the new departments of Île-de-France. The only Paris underground line to cross the Seine and its principal tributary, the Marne, above ground via a bridge between Charenton – Écoles and École Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort, it also crosses the Seine underground between Concorde and Invalides.
History.
Birth of the line.
Line 8 was the last line created by the concession of 30 March 1898, and the "déclaration d'utilité publique" was approved on 6 April 1903. The project would connect Opéra with Porte d'Auteuil via Grenelle with a shuttle, similar to the network's other lines. In accordance with the plan to operate Line 7 with a junction on the outskirts of Paris, a branch towards the Porte de Sèvres (today Balard) starting from the Grenelle station was planned to be built subsequently. The trains would alternately run on the two branches.
Construction of the underwater crossing of the Seine began in April 1908 between the Concorde and Invalides stations, at the level of Pont Mirabeau. It was finished in January 1911, after a lengthy delay caused by the 1910 flood. The crossing was routed with a curve 250 metres away.
Although metal caissons were originally planned to be sunk vertically (as had been done on Line 4), a tunnel was drilled following a single circular tube with the aid of a shield; authorities opposed the first method because of the risks to boating. However, the crossing near Pont Mirabeau was made with vertical caissons. The Invalides-Javel section was completed in 1910. The Grenelle station was planned as a double station with platforms on two levels, with the aim to later send trains on the two branches. However, only one station with a central platform was built, as the Balard branch was planned to be built later.
Before the completion of work near Pont Mirabeau, the line opened to the public on 13 July 1913 between Beaugrenelle and Opéra; the extension to Porte d'Auteuil followed on 30 September. The Invalides and Concorde stations were still unfinished and opened on 24 December 1913 and 12 March 1914, respectively. In 1914, the line had fifteen stations between Porte d'Auteuil and Opéra.
First extensions.
Extension of the line began on 29 December 1922, intending to transform Line 8 into a parabolic axis connecting Auteuil to Porte de Charenton via Opéra, Place de la République, Place de la Bastille, Avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement and Porte de Picpus. As part of the extension, a common route with Line 9 between the Richelieu – Drouot and République stations was planned in order to limit the impact of this problematic section on street traffic. Located on the former course of the Seine, the ground is soft and the initial plan to build two parallel tunnels generated lengthy controversy.
The first new section opened on 30 June 1928, extending the line by to Richelieu – Drouot from Opéra. With an increase in traffic forecast, at its 21 March 1926 meeting the Municipal Council of Paris decided to increase the new Line 7, 8 and 9 station length from to to use stock seven-car trains. Although lengthening the old stations was planned later, the work was never completed. The new Richelieu – Drouot station was the system's first station, but train length was limited by the shorter stations.
The 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition in Bois de Vincennes necessitated the completion of Line 8 for its opening. The extension of the line to Porte de Charenton, including the construction of seventeen 105-metre stations, was agreed on 25 March 1924 and work began in 1928. The configuration of Lines 8 and 9, under the Grands Boulevards in wet, unstable ground, drove the decision to extend the line on two levels. The Line 8 stations are on the upper level: two half-stations, separated by a central supporting wall to ensure stability. The extension was completed in March 1931 and opened to the public on 5 May, ending at Porte de Charenton. The line now included thirty-three stations between Auteuil and Porte de Charenton.
Major restructuring.
The line's southwestern portion was modified during the 1930s, with the system's circular lines replaced by axes crossing the city. Instead of connecting the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, Line 8 connected Balard and Porte de Charenton. The La Motte-Picquet was modified so trains departed only for Balard, instead of alternating between Auteuil and Balard.
The changes affected several lines; Line 8 had a new terminus at Balard, and the old section the line between La Motte-Picquet and Porte d'Auteuil was reassigned to Line 10. With Line 10 ending at Invalides, the section between Duroc and Invalides was transferred to the old Line 14 (now Line 13).
The section between La Motte-Picquet and Balard opened on 27 July 1937, at the same time as the Javel maintenance workshop. At that time, the line included thirty-one stations between Balard and Porte de Charenton.
Second wave of extensions toward Créteil.
The extension to Charenton-le-Pont was approved on 24 December 1929. Work began in 1936, and a opened on 5 October 1942. Two new stations were created: Liberté and Charenton – Écoles in Charenton-le-Pont. Although in 1942 the line had thirty-three stations, Champ de Mars and Saint-Martin were closed on 2 September 1939.
After the war, the only metro extension was Line 13 (to Carrefour Pleyel) in 1952. Investment programmes in 1965 and 1967 envisaged three extensions. One was Line 8 to Maisons-Alfort, due to overcrowding at Charenton-le-Pont which disrupted bus service to Charenton. The extension required crossing the Marne on a viaduct, since the Charenton – Écoles station was at the edge of a cliff north of the river.
A concrete, viaduct was built in spring 1968. Aesthetically designed to integrate with the landscape, it has six supports (including one of its three piers in the river. The two central spans are long, and the two side spans long. The structural steel is a continuous metal beam, supported by two vertical beams. These beams frame the bottom of the trains, and the rails are laid on track ballast, for noise reduction. On the north, the viaduct overhangs the A4 autoroute before going underground on a access ramp. On the south, the line immediately goes underground on a ramp. The viaduct has a continuous slope of 40 mm/m, enabling it to go underground when it crosses the left bank of the Marne. In June 1969 the metal beams were put in place, and the structure was completed in November.
This viaduct, the first built since the Line 6 viaduct in 1909, leads to a three-track tunnel to the terminus. The section from Charenton – Écoles to Maisons-Alfort – Stade opened on 19 September 1970.
Extension to Créteil.
Créteil became a prefecture after the creation of the department of Val-de-Marne, resulting in an increase in population, and a new extension was quickly begun in several stages. The line reached Maisons-Alfort – Les Juilliottes on 27 April 1972 in a tunnel. It enters Créteil on , open-air tracks in the median of a highway. The Créteil–L'Échat station, with a central platform, opened on 24 September 1973; Créteil–Préfecture station, with three tracks and two platforms, opened on 10 September 1974. This was the first Paris Métro connection with the prefecture of a bordering department, extending the line to over and 37 stations.
The extensions triggered a change from a single fare to fares by section on 19 September 1970, when the extension to Maisons-Alfort–Stade opened. Stations are equipped with an automatic check at the exit with a turnstile, and travellers paid a supplementary fare to exit. The system returned to a single fare on 1 November 1982.
The extension of line 8 south of Créteil-Préfecture, over to Pointe du Lac station was opened on 8 October 2011. It was approved by the launch of the preliminary project and the financing agreement by the STIF council, the transport organising authority in Île-de-France, during its meeting of 20 September 2006. Preparatory work began on 5 March 2007. This extension requires a crossing of the RD1 expressway, by means of a flyover. This structure, 80 m long and 8.20 m wide overhangs the line by 4.10 m and rests on 80 mm diameter piles anchored at a depth of 18 m. The total expected cost of the structure was €83 million.
The aim of this extension was to connect the Pointe du Lac district, the US Créteil-Lusitanos football stadium and the Europarc business district to the metro network. This project was accompanied by the creation of a dedicated bus line, RATP bus line 393, connecting Créteil-Pompadour station on RER line D (opened on 15 December 2013) and Sucy–Bonneuil station on RER line A. A new additional maintenance workshop is also being put into service with this new extension.
Route and stations.
Route.
Line 8 is long, including of open-air tracks in the southeastern suburbs. It is the second-longest line (after Line 13), with the greatest distance between its terminals.
The line begins in 15th arrondissement of Paris at the level of the Porte de Sèvres. The rear station at Balard is under the Paris heliport, beyond the Boulevard Périphérique viaduct. The station has three tracks and a central platform, with the end of the line supplemented by four parking tracks.
It then runs toward Hôtel des Invalides along Avenue Félix-Faure, passing under the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceintureviaduct and arriving at the Lourmel station (three tracks with platforms, one of which runs to the Javel maintenance workshop. It then serves the Boucicaut and Félix Faure stations.
After these stations, Line 8 follows the Rue du Commerce. Because of the narrowness of the street, the Commerce station has staggered platforms. At the intersection of Rue du Commerce and Avenue Emile-Zola, the Line 8 tunnel is under Line 10 in a common structure. As the line reaches the La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle station, the eastbound Lines 8 (toward Créteil–Préfecture) and 10 (toward Gare d'Austerlitz) use the same central platform; the westbound Line 8 (toward Balard) is under the westbound Line 10 for historical reasons.
The line then follows Avenue de la Motte-Picquet at a .04-percent grade, bringing it near the surface. The Champ de Mars station, between La Motte-Picquet – Grenelle and École Militaire, was closed on 2 September 1939. A rush-hour track, unusual in the system, and a connection are between the La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle and Champ de Mars stations.
After the Champ de Mars ghost station the line serves École Militaire and La Tour-Maubourg, curving right and left under the Invalides esplanade and beginning a .04-percent descent under the park tracks and the main tracks of Line 13 to the Invalides station under the Rue de Constantine. At Rue Robert-Esnault-Pelterie, it begins a second .04-percent descent under RER Line C to cross the Seine through a metal tunnel. The line then goes up the Right Bank on a curved, .035-percent grade to the Concorde station.
Line 8 then runs under Rue Royale, under the Asnières sewage-treatment plant and then above Line 12, to reach Madeleine. It crosses Line 14, passing the Clichy sewage-treatment plant to Opera before skirting the Grands Boulevards to Richelieu – Drouot.