Châtelet–Les Halles () is a major train hub in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

and one of the largest underground stations in the world. Opened in 1977, it is the central transit hub for the

Paris metropolitan area The Paris metropolitan area (french: aire d'attraction de Paris) is a statistical area that describes the reach of commuter movement to and from Paris, France and its surrounding suburbs. Overview In 2020 France's national INSEE statistica ...

, connecting three of five RER commuter-rail lines and five of sixteen Métro lines. The hub hosts travellers per weekday ( for the RER alone) and platforms separated by up to . It is named after the nearby

Place du Châtelet The Place du Châtelet () is a public square in Paris, on the right bank of the river Seine, on the borderline between the 1st and 4th arrondissements. It lies at the north end of the Pont au Change, a bridge that connects the Île de la Cité, ...

public square and

Les Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on January 12, 1973, after which it was "left to the demolition men who will knock down the last three of the eight iron-and-glass pavilions""Les Halles Dead at 20 ...

, the former wholesale food market of Paris, now a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

Terminology

Formally, the name Châtelet–Les Halles designates the RER station alone. Informally, it refers to the hub comprising the eponymous RER station (served by

RER A RER A is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from east to west, with all t ...

RER B RER B is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its Île-de-France suburbs. The RER B line crosses the region from no ...

and

RER D RER D is one of the five lines in the (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south, with all trains serving a group ...

) plus the contiguous

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architec ...

stations

Châtelet In medieval times, a châtelet () was a little castle or fortress, wherein the ''Châtelain'' (female ''chatelaine'') or governor lodged. Châtelet or Chatelet may refer to: Places Belgium * Châtelet, Belgium, a municipality in the province ...

(served by

Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to: Public transport Africa * Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria * Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt Asia China * Line 1 (Beijing Subway) * Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit) * Line 1 (Changsha Metro) * Line 1 (Changzhou Metro) * L ...

, Line 4, Line 7, Line 11 and Line 14) and

(served by Line 4). For purposes of

wayfinding Wayfinding (or way-finding) encompasses all of the ways in which people (and animals) orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place. Wayfinding software is a self-service computer program that helps users to find a location ...

, the massive three station complex is broken up into three sectors: Forum, Rivoli and Seine.

Forum sector

The Forum sector is named after the adjoining

Forum des Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on January 12, 1973, after which it was "left to the demolition men who will knock down the last three of the eight iron-and-glass pavilions""Les Halles Dead at 20 ...

shopping mall, which is accessible from this part of the station. The sector includes the RER platforms and the

station on

Paris Métro Line 4 Line 4 () is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Situated mostly within the boundaries of the City of Paris, it connects Porte de Clignancourt in the north and Bagneux-Lucie Aubrac in the south, travelling acros ...

. Exits numbered 1 through 9 are located in the sector.

Rivoli sector

The Rivoli sector is below and named after the

Rue de Rivoli Rue de Rivoli (; English: "Rivoli Street") is a street in central Paris, France. It is a commercial street whose shops include leading fashionable brands. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle o ...

, a major road known for its shopping and includes the

station of

, Line 4 and Line 14 of the Paris Métro. Exits numbered 10 through 14 are located in the sector.

Seine sector

The Seine sector is named after the nearby

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plate ...

and includes the Châtelet station of Line 7 and Line 11 of the Paris Métro. Exits numbered 15 through 19 are located in the sector.

RER station layout

The tracks of the three RER lines are all oriented parallel in an east–west direction. The seven tracks are grouped on four platforms, with the outer platforms reserved for RER A and RER B and the central ones for RER D. This enables easy cross-platform connections between RER A and RER B trains traveling in the same direction, and a solution for those RER D trains which use the station as a terminus.

Renovation

A major renovation of the station complex and adjoining

shopping mall was completed in 2018, with the main aim of improving safety in the event of an emergency evacuation at peak traffic time. The renovation included the construction of a major new entrance at Place Marguerite de Navarre, with direct access to the RER station hall; the complete renovation and enlargement of the RER station hall; and extension of key escalators to lower levels of the station.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatelet - Les Halles (Paris Rer) Réseau Express Régional stations Railway stations in France opened in 1977 Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris