Let's Ride ... The Paris Metro 3bis and 7bis

Thanks for visiting our metro :) I'm a metro driver on line 13. In few years, line 3bis and 7bis will receive brand new MF19 stock trains. For the moment it's between 2025 and 2027. :) Those trains will have 4 cars. :)

Finnally Geoff sees the “Waterloo and City Line” of the Paris Merro

Two ideas for future videos: -The Paris Metro used to have First Class in the third car and this was discontinued. -Each station used to have an electric door that would close up when a train arrived, to prevent stragglers from running to the train. They had no retraction device and so could really hurt you if they closed on you. These were decommissioned in the late 1970s IIRC, but I believe may still be found in some stations, permanently propped open.

Invader is a Paris-based street artist. His work is also found in London (and other cities around the world). There are some good examples around Old Street and Soho :)

couple of notes: — yes, the pathway at Gambetta is indeed where the track used to be. what you didn't mention though, is that the current line 3bis platform was the original Gambetta station. new platforms had to be built for line 3 when it was extended in another direction, and the segment to Gambetta got turned into a branch line. Martin Nadaud station was so close, it was absorbed into Gambetta station. — Porte Molitor never opened, since no exits have ever been built. however, there used to be a train shared between lines 9 and 10 back when both had the same stock, and since they had different seatings, Porte Molitor is where they would replace seats and maps, and store them on the platform, whenever the train had to switch lines. — the shortest distance between two stations is 183 m, between Cluny – La Sorbonne and Maubert – Mutualité. the journey takes about 30 seconds.

It is a CRIME that Tim didn't take you to the Parc Buttes-Chaumont to see la Temple de la Sibylle, the lake and go to the cafes there. Best park in all of Paris.

Hi Geoff, thank you for your brilliant video! I am glad you made a video about the city where I live ! Here is a fun fact about one station of line 7bis : Danube. This station was constructed in a very unstable terrain, where a gypsum mine used to be. Indeed, the station is perched more than 30m above solid ground. This is why they built huge supporting columns below the station. These were needed to keep the station from falling. Pretty impressive for a station of this size ! Ps: I am sorry if my English is not perfect, I am French (oui oui)

Oooh, the Geoff and Tim show is back! Yay! I wish you two would make more videos together! One thing you forgot to mention was that the train goes through a former gypsum mine at Buttes Chaumont, which made for huge difficulties building the tunnels! I believe they are even suspended in some places. I used to use Place des Fetes regularly when I lived in Paris in the 1970s (my own métro stations were Duroc or Francois Xavier) as a dear friend lived near there!

the secret line between 3bis and 7bis is called "la voie des fêtes" the flip up seats have been removed for maintenance

Nice! You're in my city on two of my favorite lines! They have very nice and quiet stations! Also if you've noticed the motor sounds on the 7bis MF88 trains, you will notice that these trains are prototypes for the modern metro trains in Paris.

I love the 7bis. I specially went to visit it whilst studying in Paris. Little known fact is that the 7bis was dug through a former gypsum mine with massive chambers and extremely unstable ground conditions, parts of the tunnel are actually built on viaducts. It was a truly insane building project.

Great video! Thought I’d add info : at 2:02 the bench is so uncomfortable because RATP don’t want homeless people sleeping on them, so they voluntarily made it impossible to lie on. Colour schemes are stock based, not line based. The only difference you might find are both lines 3 and 3bis MF67 stock got unique refurbishments with unique layouts and colours (PIS and longitudinal seats for line 3, and removal of tip up seats for line 3bis). The wall in the middle at Buttes-Chaumont and Botzaris has nothing to do with the line splitting. It’s just because the station is too unstable without them, as they are so deep underground.

The shoulder shrug and "je ne sais pas" look about the mystery of the lost seat was your best bit of french in all the video geoff 👌

There have been plans to combine 3bis and 7bis into one line, perhaps a line 19 (but that might be reserved for a future Grand Paris Express line) or a line 20. Such a line would use that eastbound connection between 7bis and 3bis, which in turns necessitates the opening of the famous built-but-never-used Haxo ghost station (as Pre-Saint-Gervais would be turned into a one way station as well).

1:25 Slammy Door and Handle Door have a special place on the channel.

Geoff and Tim in one show. Two of my favorites. 👍🏻

The tunnel the runs where tracks used to be reminds me of the new(ish) connection between Times Square and Bryant Park here in NYC. They renovated the Times Square Shuttle to be 2 tracks, and replaced the 3rd track with a ramp down from the eastern end of the new island platform to a block long tunnel (with a block long piece of artwork) that ends with stairs down to both platforms at Bryant Park on the 6th Avenue lines (BDFM). Oddly because the shuttle closes overnight, the connection gets locked shut and passengers are told to go and take the 7 train one stop instead. Eventually they will add in elevators to make the connection fully accessible (oddly all of the Times Square complex is accessible EXCEPT for the tunnel that runs from the 8th avenue (ACE) lines to the rest of the station as that tunnel has steep ramps at both ends that are unfriendly to wheelchair users.)

Space Invader mosaics: I did a walking tour for a few hours around Montmartre when I visited Paris. Started at the Moulin Rouge, then the cafe from Amelie, then several other locations including the "love" wall, finally ending at the Sacred Heart Basilica. Our guide liked pointing out the street art and I remember we saw a few of the space invader mosaics. I would bet there's well over 100 that the artist has left around Paris.

Great to see the Geoff and Tim show again. What a treat. Merci beaucoup.

The Paris trick with the handle is that you can lift it in advance, and they will open the doors slightly before the stop, so you can get off while still moving, so it's fast, and you already have some speed up and can just continue walking. :-) Efficiency!