Metro Rebranded AGAIN!

Extensions to Paris Metro 14

Way back, fbb was in Paris on business with his boss and he was given the afternoon off "to see the sights". Boss was intrigued that his assitant should be more interested in a ride on the new line 14.

5 October 1998

New Line 14 inaugurates between Madeleine and Bibliothèque F. Mitterrand.T

This was the first totally new Metro line since line 11 in 1935 and it was the very first fully automatic driverless Metro. Others have followed. MP89 stock was operated.

One of the pleasures was being able to ride in the front carriage,  which fbb did by sitting in the back to Bibliotheque on his outward run and thus being ready at the front for the whole line back to Madeleine.

Obviously the driverless technology was impressive, but the stations were very different from traditional Metto stops.

Everything was bigger and brighter. The platform doors were, for fbb, a fascination.

16 December 2003

Northern extension from Madeleine to Saint-Lazare opens.

26 June 2007

First southern extension from Bibliothèque François Mitterrand to Olympiades opens.

The entrances are much bigger than the traditional staircase from the street on the older lines. They have escalators.

3 March 2014

First of eighteen MP05 trains goes into revenue service.

To fbb's untrained eye MP05 look quite like the MP89!

12 October 2020

First of thirty five MP14 trains goes into revenue service.

We have already met the MP14 on the extension to line 11 - but they had drivers' cabs. The line 14 versions, once again, have seats at the front or back with a full view of the line ahead.

Only TWO seats give a clear view of the line!

14 December 2020

Second northern extension from Saint-Lazare to Mairie de Saint-Ouen opens.

28 January 2021

Porte de Clichy station opens to passengers.

13 April 2023

Last of MP89 and MP05 trains run on the line, being transferred to line 4.

Line 4 is now fully automatic and driverless.

24 June 2024

Third northern extension from Mairie de Saint-Ouen to Saint-Denis–Pleyel opens.

Just one extra stop; but a stop destined to offer connections with the new orbital Metro lines.

24 June 2024

Second southern extensions from Olympiades to Aéroport d’Orly opens.

This is the big one for line 14, taking the Metro to Orly Airport, an extension which had been part of a major campaign almost since the original line 14 opened.

The usual razzamatazz greeted the opening ...

And the above was just for the one stop northern extension! 

Below we see the "do" for the southern bit ...

... with escalator grandstand!

For Orly we also have a short video of the new station there.

See what your author means when he says it is nothing like a traditional Paris Metro!

But what about that rebranding? The original bit of line 14 opened after being promoted and planned as METEOR - Metro Est Ouest Rapide; but became just plain Metro 14 upon opening.

It is still Metro 14 after the recent extensions BUT ...

... see tomorrow's blog.

And, for reference, here is the full line on the traditional Metro map, now hardly able to contain this and other future extensions.

Saint Denis to Madeleine

Madeleine to Gare de Lyon

Gare de Lyon to Orly

Just squeezed it in! fbb has ridden to Orly using tram T7 connecting from Metro 7 and then leaving via OrlyVal.

He now needs to go to Paris again!

 Next Metro Prolongement blog : Friday 5 July