Porte Maillot station explained

Porte Maillot
Style:Paris Métro
Address:23/27, av. Charles de Gaulle
80, av. de la Grande Armée
87, av. de la Grande Armée
Place Maillot
16, place de Verdun
16th arrondissement of Paris
Borough:Île-de-France
Country:France
Coordinates:48.8781°N 2.2819°W
Owned:RATP
Operator:RATP
Zone:1
Map Type:France Paris

Porte Maillot (in French pronounced as /pɔʁt majo/) is a station on Paris Métro Line 1 and as on the RER C and RER E. The station replaces another station of the same name, the original terminus of Line 1, which was demolished and moved in 1936.

The name derives from the Porte Maillot, a former gate to the Bois de Boulogne, whose name derives perhaps from maille, or croquet. The present day Porte Maillot is in the centre of a roundabout close to the modern Palais des congrès de Paris which the station serves. The centre of the roundabout is a small park, providing a midpoint on the long view between the arches of La Defense and the Arc de Triomphe.

History

The first station called "Porte Maillot" opened in 1900 and was the terminus of Line 1, and was therefore a loop, allowing trains to turn around without reversing. Like Porte Dauphine and Porte de Vincennes, it was arranged with a central waiting area and tracks on either side, with two tunnels. The station was replaced with a new station a short distance to the west with the extension of Line 1 to Pont de Neuilly in 1937.[1]

The new line dives down and passes under the old loop. In 1992 this old station was turned into a reception area by the RATP, now the "Espace Maillot". The new platforms were built 105 metres long to accommodate 7-car trains in the future, a plan which has never been realised.[2]

Since 1988 and the opening of the northern branch of the C Branch of the RER, this station has served the Neuilly – Porte Maillot station of the RER C. The two stations are connected by a long corridor.

The RER A passes beneath the station, but does not stop. An extension of RER E through Port Maillot from to and then towards is under consideration.

Work is currently underway, but nearing completion to convert "Espace Maillot" into a light maintenance facility for the new MP 05 rolling stock, which are fully automated.

Passenger services

Access

Station layout

Street Level
B1Mezzanine for platform connection
B2
Platforms
Westbound
Westbound siding
Eastbound siding
Eastbound

Platforms

The current station is made up of two parallel stations, each of standard configuration with two platforms separated by the metro tracks under an elliptical arch. The trains run on the outer tracks, the others being used as termini or garages. The decoration is in the style used for the majority of metro stations. The lighting canopies are white and rounded in the Gaudin style of the metro revival of the 2000s (with the exception of one on the south platform of the north station), and the bevelled white ceramic tiles cover the walls, the vault, and the tunnel exits. The advertising frames are made of brown ceramic and the name of the station is inscribed in the metro's font, Parisine, on enamelled plaques. The platforms are equipped with yellow Akiko seats, and are fully equipped with screen doors, as is the north platform of the south station (the fourth platform, bordered by a dead-end track on the east side, has façade modules only at the ends, on the spaces not covered by the trains that are parked there).

Other connections

Since 1988 and the opening of the northern branch of the RER C, and now it is also served with RER E in the same station where Line 1 is and it has served the Neuilly-Porte Maillot station. This station connects with the metro station via long corridors.

The station is served by bus lines 73, 82, PC, 244 and 274 (remotely, from the Porte des Ternes stop) of the RATP Bus Network and by lines N11, N24, N151 and N153 of the Noctilien night bus service. In addition, it is at the origin of a bus link to Beauvais-Tillé Airport.

Tourism

The Porte Maillot is an entrance to the Bois de Boulogne, and is located between the avenue Charles de Gaulle of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the avenue de la Grande Armée of Paris.

The Palais des congrès can be accessed directly via the corridor between the metro and RER stations.

The roof over the tracks between the RER station and the Pereire station has been converted into a walkway for pedestrians.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Porte Maillot (voie 1) Ligne 1. Metrorama [French]. 28 November 2012. 14 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614015312/http://metrorama.free.fr/2005-02-PorteMaillot1.html. live.
  2. Hardy, B. Paris Metro Handbook, 3rd edition, Capital Transport Publishing, 1999.