Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
is the centre of a national, and with air travel, international, complex transport system. The modern system has been superimposed on a complex map of streets and wide boulevards that were set in their current routes in the 19th century. On a national level, it is the centre of a web of road and railway, and at a more local level, it is covered with a dense mesh of bus, tram and metro service networks.
Environmental performance
Paris has one of the most
sustainable
Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
transportation systems in the world (private cars are only 4.3% of the overall traffic in the city centre)
[ and is one of only two cities that received the Sustainable Transport Award twice, in 2008 and 2023. The second is Bogota. The award was accorded for the continual efforts to expand active transportation networks, including specifically designated to help children, women, disabled persons. By the year of 2026, half of parking spaces should be turned into green spaces, bike lanes, spaces used for ]shared mobility
Shared may refer to:
* Sharing
* Shared ancestry or Common descent
* Shared care
* Shared-cost service
* Shared decision-making in medicine
* Shared delusion (disambiguation), Shared delusion, various meanings
* Shared government
* Shared intellig ...
and playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
s.
In the years 2022–2023, 53.3% of the trips in the city centre were made on foot, 30% on public transport, 11.2% on bicycles and 4.3% on cars.
Bike lanes are being doubled, while electric car incentives are being created. The French capital is banning the most polluting automobiles from key districts. During only one year, the use of bicycles rose by 54%.
In 2022 the organization "Tools of change" finished a landmark case study about the transportation system in Paris. According to the study during the years 2010–2020 the modal share of cars in Paris declined from 12.8% to 6% while the modal share of active transportation (walking, cycling) rose from 55.4% to 68% (more than in Copenhagen and Barcelona) due to a combination of several governmental and local programs. Contrarily, in the whole Métropole du Grand Paris
A (; French for "metropolis") is an administrative entity in France, in which several communes in France, communes cooperate, and which has the right to Taxation in France, levy local tax, an ''établissement public de coopération intercommunal ...
region the modal share of cars rose in those years from 39.5% to 43% and the modal share of active transportation declined from 40.3% to 36%. The use of public transport declined in Paris and slightly rose in the Paris Metropolis.
In March 2025, Parisiens approved a referendum, turning 500 more streets (5-8 per neighborhood) and 10,000 more parking lots into walking paths, cycle lanes, and greenery. 300 streets and 10,000 parking lots have already been transformed since 2020. The population will be further consulted about which streets will be converted.
Streets and thoroughfares
Paris is known for the non-linearity of its street map, as it is a city that grew 'naturally' around roadways leading to suburban and more distant destinations. Centuries of this demographic growth created a city cramped, labyrinth-like and unsanitary, until a late 19th century urban renovation, overseen by Georges-Eugène Haussmann
Georges-Eugène Haussmann (; 27 March 180911 January 1891), commonly known as Baron Haussmann, was a French official who served as prefect of Seine (1853–1870), chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out a massive urban renewal programme of n ...
, resulted in the wide boulevards we see there today. This remained relatively unchanged until the 1970s, and the construction of cross-city and periphery
Periphery or peripheral may refer to:
Music
*Periphery (band), American progressive metal band
* ''Periphery'' (album), released in 2010 by Periphery
*"Periphery", a song from Fiona Apple's album '' The Idler Wheel...''
Gaming and entertainme ...
expressways.
More recently, the city began renovations to prioritise public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
systems, and has created 'purpose' lanes dedicated to buses, taxis, and, more recently, cyclists, narrowing the passages reserved for automobiles and delivery vehicles. Although reducing traffic flow within the city itself, this traffic modification often results in traffic congestion at the capital's gateway thoroughfares.
Public transport
Paris's most-frequented public transport is the Métro network, mostly underground. Across 16 lines, its closely spaced stations (around 500 metres between them on average) allow a connection between any capital quarter to any other, and a few lines extend quite far into the suburbs. This is complemented by a bus route network of 347 lines. Since 1992, the tramway has made a reappearance with 14 lines in the Île-de-France region, mostly outside the city borders. Paris is also the hub of the Réseau Express Régional
The (; ), commonly abbreviated RER (), is a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs. It acts as a combined city-center underground rail system and suburbs-to-city-center commuter rail, similar to the Elizabe ...
(RER), a train network with higher speeds and wider stop spacing than the Métro which connects the capital to its suburbs. The Transilien
Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail and tram-train network operated by SNCF and serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of lines
Transilien Line H, H, Transilie ...
, a rail network radiating from the capital's train stations, provides service to other suburban destinations.
A Navigo card
The Navigo card () is a contactless smart card used to travel on public transport in Paris and Île-de-France. The card is based on the Calypso (electronic ticketing system), Calypso standard, initially implemented with Radio-frequency identifica ...
can be used to pay public transport fares in the Île-de-France Public transport fares in the Île-de-France are determined by Île-de-France Mobilités, the regional autorité organisatrice de transports ("Regional Transport Organisational Authority"). The authority sells a variety of fare types. Single use ti ...
.
Organisation
For the governance of Paris-area public transport, the basic rule of thumb is that the RATP (''Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens)'' governs all transport within and extending from the Parisian Capital, and the SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
(''Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français'', the state-owned rail company whose network covers all of France) governs all transport outside of and only penetrating the capital, but there are exceptions to this rule. Metro, Tramway, most of the Bus services and parts of the RER network are run by the RATP. Other sections of the RER, as well as the Transilien
Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail and tram-train network operated by SNCF and serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of lines
Transilien Line H, H, Transilie ...
, are run by the SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
.
Statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Paris, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 64 minutes. 15% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 12 minutes, while 14% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is , while 29.% travel for over in a single direction.
Métro
Paris's métro has 16 lines, and 12 of these penetrate into the surrounding suburbs. Lines 2 and 6 form a circle within Paris, with most other lines crossing the city diametrically.
Commuter rail
The RER (Réseau Express Régional) is a network of regional trains that run far into the suburbs of Paris, with fewer stops within the city itself. From its first line A in 1977, it has grown into a network of five lines, A, B, C, D and E: three (A, B, and D) pass through Paris's busiest and most central Châtelet-Les-Halles station. Line C occupies the path of former railways along the 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 plat ...
's Rive Gauche quays, and the most recently built line E leaves Paris's Gare Saint-Lazare
The Gare Saint-Lazare (; ), officially Paris Saint Lazare, is one of the seven large mainline List of Paris railway stations, railway station terminals in Paris, France. It was the first railway station built in Paris, opening in 1837. It mostly ...
train station for destinations to Paris's north-east.
Transilien
Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail and tram-train network operated by SNCF and serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of lines
Transilien Line H, H, Transilie ...
trains operate on suburban lines connecting Paris's main stations to the suburbs not reached by the RER. The Transilien lines are named as a play-on-words for the "transit" of " Franciliens," inhabitants of the "Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
" ''région
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities, which have ...
'' of which Paris is the capital. ''lien'' also means link in French.
Tram
All of Paris's tramways had stopped running by 1937, but this mode of transport
A mode of transport is a method or way of travelling, or of transporting people or cargo. The different modes of transport include air, water, and land transport, which includes rails or railways, road and off-road transport. Other modes of t ...
has returned recently. Beginning in 1992, two lines (the T1 and T2) were built parallel to the outer boundaries of the capital. The T3 line, opened in stages starting in 2006, runs on grassy track alongside much of the city borders of Paris.
Bus
Paris's bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
lines interconnecting all points of the capital and its closest suburban cities. There are 58 bus lines operating in Paris that have a terminus within city limits.
The capital's bus system has been given a major boost over the past decade. Beginning in early 2000, Paris's major arteries have been thinned to reserve an express lane reserved only for bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
and taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
, usually designated with signs and road markings. More recently, these bus lanes
A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) hav ...
have been isolated from the rest of regular circulation through low concrete barriers that form "couloirs" (corridors) and prevent all other forms of Paris traffic from even temporarily entering them. The greater Paris region has three Bus Rapid Transit lines, being the T Zen, Line 393, and the Trans Val De Marne.
There are electric bus
An electric bus is a bus that is propelled using electric motors, as opposed to a conventional internal combustion engine. Electric buses can store the needed electrical energy on board, or be fed mains electricity continuously from an external ...
es. Autonomous buses are also being experimented in Vincennes
Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...
since November 2017.
Cycling
Cycling is becoming a popular mode of transport in Paris although the infrastructure are still very scarce. The Vélib bike hire scheme was introduced in the middle of 2007 with over 20,000 bicycles available at hire points throughout the city.
Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo
Ana María "Anne" Hidalgo Aleu (, ; born 19 June 1959) is a Spanish-French politician who has served as Mayor of Paris since 2014, the first woman to hold the office. She is a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (PS).
Hidalg ...
, 84km of bike lanes
Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor ...
lanes were built in 2020-2025. Bicycle usage rose by 71% between the end of the Covid-19 lockdowns and 2023.[
]
National and international rail connections
Paris's first "embarcadère" train station, the predecessor to the gare Saint-Lazare
The Gare Saint-Lazare (; ), officially Paris Saint Lazare, is one of the seven large mainline List of Paris railway stations, railway station terminals in Paris, France. It was the first railway station built in Paris, opening in 1837. It mostly ...
, appeared from 1837 as a home for the novelty Paris-à-Saint-Germain local line. Over the following ten years, France's developing rail network would give Paris five (including the Saint-Lazare station) national railway stations and two suburban lines, and from 1848 Paris would become the designated centre of an "Étoile" (star) spider-web of rail with reaches to (and through) all of France's borders. This pattern is still very visible in France's modern railway map.
As far as national and European destinations are concerned, rail transport is beginning to outdistance air travel in both travel time and efficiency. The still-developing SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
's TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
(Train à Grande Vitesse) network, since its birth in 1981, brings France's most southerly Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
only 3 hours from the capital. A train similar to the TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
, the Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, ...
, has been connecting Paris to central London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
by rail in 2h 15 since 1994, and in the opposite direction, the Thalys
Thalys (French: ) was a brand name used for high-speed rail, high-speed train services between Paris Gare du Nord and both Amsterdam Centraal and German cities in the Rhein-Ruhr, including Aachen, Köln Hauptbahnhof, Cologne, Düsseldorf Hauptba ...
train service connects Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
in 1h22 with up to 26 departures per day, Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
in 3h18 with up to 10 departures per day and Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
in 3h14, with up to 6 departures per day.
National and international air connections
Paris had its first airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
in the fields of Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called in French. It is one of Paris's entrances and is located from Notre Dame Cathedral, whic ...
(just to the southern limits of Paris by its Seine river's Left Bank) from the first aviation trials of 1908. Aviation became a serious mode of transport during the course of World War I, which in 1915 led to the installation of a larger and more permanent runway installation near the town of Le Bourget
Le Bourget () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
The commune features Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Museum). A very ...
to the north of Paris. A yet larger airport to the south of the Capital, Orly Airport
Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...
, began welcoming flights from 1945, and yet another airport to the north of the City, Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle, opened its gates from 1974.
Today the former airfields of Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called in French. It is one of Paris's entrances and is located from Notre Dame Cathedral, whic ...
have become a Heliport
A heliport is a small airport which has a helipad, suitable for use by helicopters, powered lift, and various types of vertical lift aircraft.
Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also hav ...
annex of Paris, and Le Bourget
Le Bourget () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
The commune features Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Museum). A very ...
an airfield reserved for smaller aircraft. Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle takes the majority of international flights to and from Paris, and Orly is a host to mostly domestic and European airline companies.
A few low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called a budget, or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries for cheaper fa ...
airlines, notably Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...
and Wizz Air
{{Infobox airline
, airline = Wizz Air Holdings Plc.
, IATA =
, ICAO =
, callsign =
, aoc =
, hubs =
, focus_cities =
, frequent_flyer = {{ubl, class=nowrap
, Wizz All You Can Fly
, Wizz Discount Club
, Wizz Privilege Pass
, ...
, offer flights to Beauvais–Tillé Airport
Beauvais–Tillé Airport (; ) , branded as Paris-Beauvais Airport, is an international airport near the city of Beauvais in the commune of Tillé in France. In 2016, it was the tenth busiest airport in France, handling 3,997,856 passengers, a ...
and Châlons Vatry Airport
Châlons Vatry Airport is a minor international airport serving Châlons-en-Champagne and the Grand Est region in northeastern France. It is located southeast of Châlons-en-Champagne, near Vatry, in the Marne department. It opened as Vat ...
, while marketing these airports as Paris airports. These airports are a lot farther from Paris than Orly and CDG, similarly to airports around London, located hours away from the city center.
History
In the Middle Ages, Paris was densely populated, but small, with the population packed within the city walls. As late as 1610 it was possible to walk from one side of the city to the other in about thirty minutes. While the nobility and wealthy had carriages, horses or chairs carried by porters, ordinary citizens had to walk. As the city grew, a new means of transport was needed.
In 1617, letters of patent were granted for the first public transport service, chairs and porters for hire. The earliest chairs were uncovered, but then covered chairs were imported from London. Beginning in 1671, the chairs and porters had competition from chairs mounted on two wheels, pushed by one or several men. They were known as ''brouettes'', ''roulettes'' or ''vinaigrettes''. These continued to serve Parisians well in the 18th century, with rates set by the city government.
The first public transit service in the modern sense (fixed routes, distance based fares, a seven and a half minute headway
Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise definition varies depending on ...
) were the short-lived Carrosses à cinq sols
The carrosses à cinq sols (English: five-sol coaches) was the first modern form of public transport in the world, developed by mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal and operated in Paris in the 1660s.
History
Paris in the era of Louis XIV ...
introduced on the basis of an idea by Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal (19June 162319August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer.
Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. His earliest ...
. They were withdrawn shortly after their introduction in the 1660s.
Fiacres, Taxis
Early in the 17th century, the first wheeled one-horse carriages with drivers for hire, called fiacres, were introduced in Paris. Several companies existed, and rates were set by the Parlement of Paris in 1666. There were thirty-three stations around Paris where they could be hired. Their numbers increase from 45 in 1804 to 900 in 1818 to 2600 in over ten thousand in 1900, about the time for the first automobile taxis were introduced. The last horse-drawn fiacre disappeared in 1922.
The first automobile taxicabs
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
were introduced in Paris in 1898. There were eighteen in service during the 1900 Exposition, and more than four hundred by 1907, though they were still outnumbered by fiacres. Paris taxis played a memorable part in World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, carrying French soldiers to the front in the First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...
in 1914. There were more than ten thousand taxis in Paris in 1949.
The Omnibus, Autobus
The horse-drawn omnibus, a large square coach with rows of seats inside, carrying between 12 and 18 passengers each, was introduced in Paris in 1828. They ran from seven in the morning until seven in the evening, until midnight on the Grands Boulevards. By 1840 there were twenty-three omnibus lines operated by thirteen different companies. In 1855, Emperor Napoleon III ordered all the lines consolidated into a single company, the Compagnie Générale des omnibus.
The Tramway
Beginning in 1852, the omnibus faced competition from the horse-drawn tramway, which ran on a track. The first tramway line ran from the Place de la Concorde to Passy, and, since it was modeled after the tramway system of New York, it was known as the ''chemin de fer Americain'', or American railway. Additional lines were built between 1855 and 1857 between Rueil and Port-Marly and between Sèvres and Versailles. The first steam-driven trams were tried from 1876, but they were too costly and were not a success.
The first electric tramway line was opened in April 1892 between Saint-Denis and the Madeleine. In 1900, most public transport was still horse-drawn. On the 89 omnibus lines and 34 tramway lines in 1900, there were 1,256 horse-drawn vehicles, and just 490 electric trams.
By 1914, the situation had changed dramatically. All of the tramway cars were electric, and the network of tramway lines covered the entire city, except for the Champs-Élysées, the avenue de l'Opera, and the Grands Boulevards. Soon afterwards, the tramways faced growing competition from automobiles, and the trams were blamed for slowing down traffic. In 1929, the Municipal Council decided to replace the trams with motorbuses. On 15 May 1937, the last tram ran between porte de Vincennes and the Porte de Saint-Cloud.
Trams made a comeback beginning in the 1990s, when the city decided to encourage more clean-energy modes of transport, and opened nine new Paris-suburb tram lines.
The Predecessor to the Metro: The Petite Ceinture
In 1850 the government decided to create the Chemin de fer de Ceinture, a railroad line around the city periphery, to connect the main stations that until then had to shuttle freight between them across Paris's streets. Construction began from 1851, the first sections were opened later the same year, and its Rive Droite
The Rive Droite (; Right Bank) is most commonly associated with the river Seine in central Paris. Here, the river flows roughly westwards, cutting the city into two parts. When facing downstream, the northern bank is to the right, whereas the sout ...
section was operational by the end of 1852.
The Nord company Paris-Auteuil passenger line opened from 1854. The Chemin de fer de Ceinture rail companies were loath to open their freight line to passenger service (that they thought would encumber freight transport), but eventually gave in to government pressure and opened five Rive Droite passenger stations that opened for service from 14 July 1862. With the opening of the Rive Gauche section from 1867, and the completion of a connection between the Auteuil and Rive Droite sections in 1869, passengers could travel in an uninterrupted ring, through twenty-five stations, around the capital.
The Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture (that had become 'Petite' from 1882 because of the construction of a wider ring of Grande Ceinture rail) was almost a predecessor to the Paris métro: it carried more than twenty million passengers in 1889, and forty million in the year of the 1900 Paris Exposition. After the first Paris metro line opened that year Ceinture passenger numbers dropped steadily; 24 million in 1910 and 12 million in 1920, and it ran up a large deficit each year. In 1931, the Municipal Council decided to stop passenger service. On 31 July 1934 the train service was replaced by a bus line around the city.
The Métro
Paris was well behind other cities in having its own Metro; London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
(1863), New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
(1868), Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
(1878), Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
(1896) and Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
(1898). The project was delayed by political battles about where it would run; the railways, supported by the government, wanted a system that would connect the different stations with each other and with the Paris suburbs, while the City of Paris wanted a system that would operate only inside the twenty arrondissements. In 1898, with the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition approaching, the city won the battle. Work began on the first six lines, totaling 65 kilometres.
The first line was between Porte de Vincennes and Porte-Maillot, which served the Exposition site at the Grand Palais. Line 2 between Porte Dauphine and Nation opened in April 1903. The line between Etoile and Nation (now line number 6) was finished in 1905. The new system crossed the Seine via two bridges, at Passy and Bercy; a third, at Austerlitz, was added. In April 1905, the first tunnel under the river was opened. By 1970 there were six tunnels under the Seine and five bridges used by the Metro lines within the city.
File:Plan de la ville de Paris représentant les nouvelles voitures publiques - Entreprise générale des Omnibus.jpg, Paris Omnibus, 1828
File:Camille Pissarro - Boulevard Montmartre - Eremitage.jpg, ''Fiacres on Boulevard Montmartre'', by Camille Pissarro, 1897
File:ELD 69 - PARIS - Boulevard de Sébastopol -détail-.jpg, A horse-drawn tram on Boulevard de Sebastopol, about 1906
File:Sprague Bastille 1908.jpg, A Metro car at Bastille station, on the first line constructed, 1908
File:Omnibus, Place du Carrousel, Paris 1910.jpg, Motorized Omnibus on Place du Carrousel, 1910
File:FF CCCC 52 - Les Locomotives 'Cie de l'Ouest) - Train de Ceinture entre Ouest-Ceinture et Vaugirard.JPG, Petit Ceinture passenger train, before 1914
Chronology of Parisian transport
* 13th century. First mention of ''Charrette
A charrette (American pronunciation: /ʃɑːˈrɛt/; French: �aʁɛt, often Anglicized to charette or charet and sometimes called a design charrette, is a collaborative, intense period of design or planning activity. The term was introduced to m ...
s'' and ''bacs''.
* 14th century. Carts and trams for sovereigns and the King's court; covered litters for women nobles.
* 1405. Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – 24 September 1435) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI of France, Charles VI from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach a ...
enters the Capital in Paris's first known ''chariot branlant'' (suspended buggy).
* 22 October 1617. The first taxi concession for portable chairs, followed by other like concessions for chariots and carts. The chariots of the latter concession, granted by the King to a certain Nicolas Sauvage, were later called ''fiacres'' because of their habit of waiting for fares in front of one of Paris's (then few) major hotels named for the Saint Fiacre
Fiacre (, ) is the name of three different Irish saints, the most famous of which is Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670), the priest, abbot, hermit, and gardener of the seventh century who was famous for his sanctity and skill in ...
.
* 1653. New association under (with) Charles Villerme, given the privilege (by the King) of renting horse-drawn carriages. The same with Givray in 1657, and again with Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
Catherine Henriette de Bourbon (also Catherine Henrietta de Vendôme, Duchesse d'Elbeuf) (11 November 1596 – 20 June 1663) was an illegitimate daughter of King Henry IV of France and his long-term '' maîtresse en titre'' Gabrielle d'Estrées ...
in 1661.
* 1662, January. The King distributes licence letters to the duc de Rouanès, the Mis. de Sourches et le Mis. de Crénan to circulate their rentable carriages along a fixed route – in other words, Paris's first bus system. There were five cross-town itineraries and one circular.
* 1664. Four-place horse-drawn open carriages: ''chaise de Crénan'' – served first as a city carriage, then as a rentable "taxi" carriage.
* 1671. New types of carriages appear: roulettes, brouettes et vinaigrettes. Other transports in use that year: cabriolet, modern coach, sedans, two-floor sedans (with top rack), face-to-face coaches, sedan-cut or diligance-cut (side doors) coaches, and the "désobligeante".
* 18 March 1682. Royal licence authorizing rental coaches to charge a 5 sol fee.
* 16th century. the "carrosse" (four-wheeled coach) appears early in the century, followed by the "coche" (suspended coach) around 1575–1580.
* 1780. Rental ''cabriolets'' replace hand-drawn and hand-carried ''chaises.''
* 1790. The revolutionary government grants entrepreneurs freedom to do any business they like without restriction.
* 17th century. ''chaise à bras'' – an enclosed single seat carried either by two porters or pulled by a porter on two wheels. This mode of transport appeared because of the city's narrow and crowded streets – used at first by invalids or the ill, then later used by all.
* 1800. Police regimentation of all Parisian rental and public transport services.
* 1817. Return of control over public transport businesses: no public transport vehicle allowed to circulate in Paris without a special permit.
* 1828. Stanislas Baudry creates several horse-drawn ''Omnibus'' bus lines. The name comes from his first such endeavour in Nantes in 1823 – one of his bus line's terminuses was at a hat-maker's shop that went under the name of, when combined with that of its owner, "Omnés Omnibus"; ''Omnibus'' means "for all" in Latin.
* 1853. ''Impériale'' omnibus invented: the first double decker buses. The upper floor was cheaper and often uncovered.
* 16 August 1853. The government authorizes the civil engineer Loubat to construct a tram system between Alma and Iena. He had already done the same in New York one year earlier (he had actually reactivated a failed 1832 tram system).
* 1854. City engineers Brame and Flachat draw a plan to connect Les Halles to the Chemin de fer de Ceinture through an underground air-propelled railway. The line would begin at La Villette and go through an open trench until the Strasbourg station, from where it would go underground to the marketplace, and the freight would be lifted to the surface with hydraulic elevators. Five kilometres long, foreseen cost nine million francs, approved by study panel, construction announced, but project abandoned.
* 1854. The 25 public transport lines cover of Parisian streets. Different lines designated by a letter system then.
* 1854, February. CGO (Compagnie generale des Omnibus) created after another concession grant. They had the right to shuttle and park their buses anywhere in Paris for a 30-year period, but this delay was later extended to 56 years (or until 30 April 1910). They also were granted the right to create two new lines serving Boulogne and Vincennes.
* 8 February 1854. Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
authorizes (by decree) a tramway concession between Sèvres and Vincennes with an antenna to the rond-point de Boulogne, but the only part exploited was between the place du Concorde and porte de Vincennes.
* 1855. Creation of the ''Compagnie Imperiale des voitures de Paris'' – a merger of all existing voiture (taxi) companies.
* 1855. Faster and larger two-horse omnibuses (24 seats). Inside seats cost 30 centimes and include a transfer. A seat on the imperiale costs 15 centimes, but no transfer possible.
* 1856. Loubat returns his CGO concession to the government.
* 1866. "Voiture" (non-syndicated) taxis are once again given complete freedom – anyone with a buggy can give transport services.
* 25 February 1867. Creation of the "Bateaux-Omnibus" and "Hirondelles parisiennes" companies – replaces a paddleboat service between Pont Royal and Saint-Cloud.
* 1873. first (horse-drawn) tram line opens
* 3 September 1874. Tramway ''between place de l'Étoile'' and Courbevoie opens.
* 15 June 1875. Tramway ''between place de l'Étoile'' and La Villette.
* 1890. Paris has of public transport (divided between the (State-Owned) ''CGO'' and the ''Cies de tramways Nord et Sud'').
* 1897–1900. Metro planned and first line built
* 1900. first motorized trams
* 19 July 1900. first metro line opens between Vincennes and Porte Maillot (line 1)
* 1905. First combustion-driven bus line along the rue de Rennes ().
* 1906, June. First Parisian bus line opened by the ''C.G.O.'' (''Compagnie Générale des Omnibus'')
* 13 December 1909. Paris's first one-way streets (rues de Mogador et de la Chaussée-d'Antin).
* 1913. Last year of service for horse-drawn omnibuses (last line running: ''Villette-St-Sulpice'') and horse-drawn tramways (last line: ''Pantin-Opéra'').
* 1913, January. animal traction forbidden for all Parisian transport lines
* 1920, September. Creation of the ''STCRP'' (''Societé des transports en commun de la région parisienne''), one company to govern all surface public transport within the department de la Seine.
* 1922. First three-colour stop light at the rue de Rivoli/bd de Sébastopol crossroads.
* 1927. Busses equipped with air-filled tires.
* 14 March 1937. last day of service for last Parisian tramway.
* 15 March 1937. Tramway line between Vincennes and porte de St-Cloud closes (123/124 (PC)). .
* 14 August 1938. Last day of service for the last tram line running in the Parisian basin (between Montfermeil and Le Raincy).
* 21 March 1948. Date of law creating the "''Régie autonome des transports parisiens'' (RATP). State-run company takes over all Parisian public transport formerly controlled by the STCRP and ''la Cie du métro de Paris.''
* 1960–1973. The circular ''boulevard périphérique'' expressway built.
* 1968, June. First two-floor bus (line 94) since 1911.
* 1971. Last ''plate-forme'' (open rear platform) bus circulates. RER begins construction that year.
* 1979, May. Parisian buses equipped with Radio-telephones.
* 3 May 1983. First articulated buses enter service.
* 30 June 1992. Tramway returns with new line between ''préfecture de Bobigny'' and ''La Courneuve''. Extended to St. Denis (gare) on 21 December.
* 2007. Introduction of the Vélib' bike hire scheme.
* 2017. Proposed to test SeaBubbles water taxi
A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an Urban area, urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a simil ...
.
See also
* Autonomous Port of Paris
* Economy of Paris
The economy of Paris is based largely on services and commerce: of the 390,480 of its enterprises, 80.6 percent are engaged in commerce, transportation, and diverse services, 6.5 percent in construction, and just 3.8 percent in industry. Paris, ...
* History of Paris
The oldest traces of human occupation in Paris date from about 8000 BC, during the Mesolithic period. Between 250 and 225 BC, the Parisii (Gaul), Parisii settled on the banks of the Seine, built bridges and a fort, minted coins, ...
* RATP Group
The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under th ...
* SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
* Tourism in Paris
Tourism in Paris is a major income source. Paris received 12.6 million visitors in 2020, measured by hotel stays, a drop of 73 percent from 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of foreign visitors declined by 80.7 percent. Museums re-op ...
* Transport in France
Transportation in France relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2. It is built as a web with Paris at its center. Rail, road, air and water are all widely develo ...
* Paris-Saint-Lazare to Saint-Germain-en-Laye Line
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
External links
*
How to Use Public Transportation in Paris
(PDF)
Eurostar Homepage
ratp.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Paris