Discover the 'ghost stations' of the Paris Métro
They are hidden from passengers and two were never even used
The old Porte Maillot station built in 1937 has not been in public use since the lengthening of line 1 in 2007
Wimimedia/Cyril 1983
Paris’ subway system numbers a dozen ‘ghost’ – unconventional or extraordinary – stations within its network of 309 stations spread across 16 lines.
“The term ‘ghost’ is a bit ghostly in itself,” said Clive Lamming, a historian of rail transport who wrote a book on quirky facts about Paris’ metro stations, handing The Connexion a document listing all of the stations considered ‘extraordinary’.
It includes La Défense, La Défense and Porte Maillot (line 1), Victor Hugo (2), Martin Nadaud (3) Porte des Lilas and Haxo (3 bis ; 7 bis), Les Halles (4), Arsenal and Gare du Nord (5), Orly Sud (7), Champ de Mars and Invalides (8), Saint-Martin (8 ; 9), Porte Molitor (9 ; 10), Bruneseau-Masséna and Croix-Rouge (10) and Porte de Versailles (12).
Mr Lamming said that only Porte Molitor and Haxo could be considered proper ‘ghost stations’, both having abandoned stations and platforms that never saw any travellers.
The first was imagined as a station near the Parc des Princes to accommodate visitors for sports matches. It is now used as siding tracks.
Haxo (located at the Pré-Saint Gervais) was initially thought of as a one-way station connecting Porte des Lilas station (line 3) to Place des Fêtes (now 7 bis).
It is one of the very few stations that can be visited during the National Heritage Days – these take place every year, during the third weekend of September.
All of the other stations listed here are either stations that closed or were moved elsewhere, leaving structural work unfinished; and abandoned platforms and train tracks.
“Why? Because some of these projects are so long to accomplish that many Parisians had already moved elsewhere. These stations had become useless,” said Mr Lamming.
The most famous of this list is Porte des Lilas, a current station of both lines 3 bis and 11. The station functioned from November 27, 1921 to 1971.
The defunct station is nicknamed Porte des Lilas-Cinéma since it is used as a film location around five times a year.
It was featured in Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, for instance. The abandoned track leads to Haxo station.
Many stations halted services in September 1939, as World War II began – 173 of the then 332 stations were closed.
While Porte des Lilas reopened after the war, many did not.
These include Croix-Rouge – the first terminus of line 10 in 1923 – Champ de Mars or Saint-Martin (1932-1939) and Arsenal (1906-1939).
Champ de Mars and Saint-Martin were closed after being judged too close to other stations that already had many line connections (La Motte Picquet for Champ de Mars ; Strasbourg-Saint-Denis and République for Saint-Martin).
Martin Nadaud reopened after the war only to close in 1969 when it was decided to combine it with Gambetta station on line 2. It is now one corridor of the station.
Finally, some stations were transferred.
Gare du Nord was transferred to its new location in 1942, Porte de Versailles, Victor Hugo, Porte Maillot and Les Halles moved several metres after extension or reconstruction works.
