Slope
The Lyon Metro map (March 2012, 4 stars) on the platform at Croix-Paquet station — reputedly the steepest Metro station in the world, with a 17 percent grade! Although nominally part of Lyon’s Metro system, the “C” Line is really a refurbished rack-and-pinion funicular, with the earliest trains running as far back as 1891.
(Source: BrusselsBen/Flickr)
18th June 2013
Notes: 52
Historical Map: Indicateur d’Itinéraires, Paris, c. 2003
An old-school interactive Metro map in Paris. Simply press one of the 360 or so buttons underneath the map, and a path lights up from your current location to your chosen destination. Who needs a fancy touch screen kiosk? I particularly like the way that the furtherest reaches of the RER lines are compressed into diagrammatic form to allow the centre of Paris to be shown as large as possible.
This particular example is still in use, despite it being around ten years out of date: the extension of Ligne 14 from Madeleine to St. Lazare (which opened in December 2003) is shown as being under construction.
(Source: Hervé Platteaux/Flickr)
All Aboard the Orient Express!
Here’s an absolutely charming little map found on the inside of a French model train set box lid. I don’t have a definitive date for this, but it does have a lovely retro feel to it.
The map itself isn’t much help, as it’s pretty much a work of fiction: a weird combination of different parts of the Orient Express’s historical routes (see this diagram on Wikipedia) and a branch to Warsaw via Prague that was never part of the train’s itinerary.
Maybe, as simple artwork intended for a children’s toy, the designers were simply thinking that no one would notice any inaccuracies. Looks great, though!
(Source: japanese forms/Flickr)
Now, I don’t want answering this sort of question to become a habit — I’m more interested in looking at maps than being some sort of public transportation help desk — but I’ll make an exception just this once.
The short answer is that you can’t, as the Metro itself doesn’t go to CDG. However, a quick glance at the official Paris Metro/RER map tells you that you can catch a train on the RER “B” line from CDG (shown at the very top right hand corner of the map) to the Chatelet-Les Halles station, where you can transfer to Metro Line 14 (via a short walk through tunnels to the connected Chatelet Metro station) towards Olympiades. Bercy is just two stops down the line!
Unofficial Map: Itinéraires de train à grande vitesse de la France
Whenever the topic of high-speed rail in the US comes up, I always like to point people to this map that I made back in 2011 of France’s TGV network. It’s a little out of date now with the opening of the LGV Rhin-Rhône, but the basic concept still holds true.
The map shows all TGV, Eurostar, Thalys and German ICE routes in and around France in a diagrammatic “subway map” style. Not every route shown runs at the TGV’s maximum operating speed of 350km/h (217mph) along its entire length — that speed is reserved for the specially-built LGV (Lignes à Grande Vitesse) track — but even on standard track (lignes classique), TGVs can still operate at maximum speeds of 220km/h (137mph): at least as fast as the Acela Express, the fastest passenger service in the US.
And this is just France: much of the rest of Europe has true HSR as well. I’ve ridden the TGV from Paris to Avignon in around three hours and cruised effortlessly across Germany at 300km/h: it’s an incredible way to travel.
(Source: Cameron Booth/Flickr)
Unofficial Interactive Map: Annual Passenger Entries into the Paris Metro (2011)
A nicely executed interactive map of total annual passenger entries into the Paris Metro system. “Entries” are simply defined as a ticket validation at the relevant station.
Even in my static screenshot, the enormous quantities of people that enter the Metro at the main railway stations of Paris — the Gare du Nord, Saint-Lazare, Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse-Bienvenue — can be clearly seen. There’s a staggering 48 million entries each year at the Gare du Nord alone!
I definitely recommend clicking through to view the full interactive experience: there’s full information for each line and station of the Paris Metro — fascinating stuff!
(Source: Data Publica via @grescoe)
Paris Metro / French Knot
Nicely executed embroidery and framing - a fun idea for something to do with those metro maps you picked up while backpacking around Europe!
(Source: JessTodd/Flickr)
Historical Map: Pocket Book Paris Métro Map, 1961
Altogether rather lovely.
(Source: Rumbling Jessie/Flickr)
Historical Map: Paris Métro Ligne 12 Strip Map
Here’s a beautiful old strip map of the Paris Métro’s Ligne 12, which runs from Mairie d’Issy to Porte de la Chapelle. This map is located in one of the few remaining old Sprague-Thomson cars, once the workhorse of the Métro.
The fact that Rennes station is crossed out dates the map from between World War II, when it was closed, and September 1968, when it was (finally) reopened. Judging by the general aesthetics and design of the map, I would definitely place this map at the beginning of that time frame, possibly even still during war-time.
(Source: Cortez77_fr /Flickr)
Paris Métro Map Mosaic Wall
This has the subway mural in Brooklyn beat, I feel.
This awesome tiled map of the 13th arrondisement covers the whole wall of this building (which I’m guessing is located where the red lines on the map intersect), complete with street names, parks, and Metro stations. It looks like the route lines are neon lighting, just for that extra cool factor. The whole thing has a great 8-bit art feeling to it which I love.
(Source: Pierre MM/Flickr)
