Paris Métro Line 6

Line 6 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Following a semi-circular route around the southern half of the city above boulevards built along the path of the former Fermiers généraux wall of 1784–1860, it runs between Charles de Gaulle–Étoile in the west and Nation in the east. A significant part of the route is on elevated tracks.

The rails and stations of today's Line 6 were opened between 1900 and 1909, but took their current configuration only in 1942. The stretch between Étoile and Place d'Italie opened between 1900 and 1906 as Line 2 Sud. In 1907, it was made part of Line 5. The section between Place d'Italie and Nation opened in 1909 as Line 6. In 1942, the Étoile – Place d'Italie section of Line 5 was transferred to line 6, creating today's Line 6 route.

The line is 13.6 km in length, of which 6.1 km are above ground, and has been equipped with rubber-tyred rolling stock since 1974. The line is considered one of the most pleasant lines on the Métro, due to its numerous views, sometimes exceptional, of many of Paris' most famous landmarks and monuments. With slightly more than 100 million riders in 2004, it is the sixth busiest line of the network.

Chronology

 * 2 October 1900: The section between Étoile and Trocadéro opened as an extension of line 1.
 * 6 November 1903: The line was extended from Trocadéro to Passy and became known as line 2 Sud (2 South).
 * 24 April 1906: Line 2 Sud was extended from Passy to Place d'Italie.
 * 14 October 1907: Line 2 Sud was incorporated into line 5.
 * 1 March 1909: Line 6 was opened between Place d'Italie and Nation.
 * 12 October 1942: The Étoile – Place d'Italie section of line 5 was transferred to line 6.
 * 1974: The rails were converted for rubber-tyred trains in order to make the tracks quieter on the line's elevated sections.
 * 12 January 2023 Cascading of MP 73 to MP 89CC rolling stock begins.

Le Circulaire sud
Initially, the planners of the Métro envisaged a loop line similar to the Circle line of the London Underground that followed the route of the Exterior Boulevards. However, the difficulties of operating such a long line forced a separation of the circle into two parts, a north circulaire and a south circulaire, the circle divided where it intersected with Line 1 (Étoile and Nation).

The northern circulaire, Line 2, opened in 1903. At the same time, the branch of Line 1 from Étoile to Trocadéro that had opened in 1900 to service the World Exposition was extended southward to Passy, and became the southern circulaire, Line 2 Sud, but only allowed four-car trains. On 24 April 1906, Line 2 Sud was extended to Place d'Italie. As connecting the Paris railway stations was an objective for the Métro, an initial plan was to then run the southern circulaire from Place d'Italie to Gare d'Austerlitz to Gare de Lyon, and from there operate along Line 1 to close the loop at Nation. But it was later decided to merge Line 2 Sud with Line 5, which was done in October 1907. Line 5 now ran trains from Étoile to Gare Montparnasse to Gare d'Austerlitz and thence to Gare du Nord. This consolidation eliminated the 2 Sud designation.

Line 6
The Line 5 consolidation resulted in construction of a new line to complete the circle: Line 6, between Place d'Italie and Nation via Bercy. Infrastructure works were completed by 1906, but the CMP (La compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris) was in no hurry to open what was perceived as a low-profit stretch of track. Prodded by the City of Paris, the CMP opened Line 6 on 1 March 1909.

As a result of aerial bombardments during World War I, defensive measures were taken for the elevated rapid transit lines. Trains were no longer lit at night from February to July 1918. As a result of the reduced lighting, however, trains became incredibly dark when they went underground, resulting in complaints from passengers and employees. The CMP was authorised to make electrical and lighting changes.

In 1931, to facilitate access to the Colonial Exhibition at the Bois de Vincennes from the southern part of the city, Line 6 took over the old LIne 2 Sud part of Line 5, creating a line from Étoile to Nation. After the exhibition closed, the old service pattern returned.

The Line 6 route took its current form on 6 October 1942, when the Place d'Italie - Étoile section of Line 5 was again transferred to Line 6. It was judged that the new extension of Line 5 north to Pantin made that line too long. With Paris again subject to air attack, it was also desirable to separate the underground and elevated sections of Line 5.

Work on the length of the current line 6 was not particularly difficult, apart from the occasional sewer displacements and land stabilisation around Denfert-Rochereau due to old mines. On the other hand, the crossing of the Seine at Passy was much trickier; from 1903 to 1906, the construction of a viaduct over the Pont Passy (now Pont de Bir-Hakeim) gave way to another project unrelated to the Métro. The original bridge, built in 1878, was replaced with one made of metal supporting the railway viaduct above. In the east, another bridge had to be built above the Pont de Bercy. Originally finished in 1864, it was widened by 5.5 m in order to accommodate the Métro and is the only viaduct in the system made of stone. Both the overpasses and underground stations in this section were designed similarly to those of Line 2 Nord, although elevated stations on the southern circulaire are fully covered with side-walls made of brick, not glass.

Rubber tyre conversion
A change in Line 6's operation occurred during the 1970s: Kléber station was expanded to four tracks with two island platforms, a rare arrangement in the Paris Métro, and converted to the line's control terminal, with Étoile acting as a simple turn-around stop.

After doing the same to Lines 1, 4, and 11, the RATP decided in 1971 to convert Line 6 to rubber-tyres for the sake of noise and vibration reduction not only to passengers but also residents near the elevated portions of the line. Work began the next year and finished in May 1974. During this time, a temporary yard was created with 810 m of track to facilitate vehicle movement. Simultaneously, the line was equipped with a central control station.

The MP 73 rolling stock quickly replaced the old Sprague-Thomson during the month of July 1974. Unlike the MP 59 cars which also have rubber tyres, the MP 73 stock has grooved ones for better adhesion on the long stretches of elevated track; the rails are ribbed for the same reason. No adhesion failures have been reported since the switchover, even in heavy rain.

From 2023, with the ongoing modernization and upcoming automation of Line 4, the MP 73 are being replaced by renovated and shortened MP 89CC railcars.

Rolling Stock
Currently, the rolling stock on Line 6 is the MP 73 Rolling Stock. From January 2023 onwards, the MP 89 removed from Paris Métro Line 4 as they get replaced by automated trains are being transferred to line 6 to replace the MP 73. These trains have been refurbished into the Île-de-France Mobilités livery and reduced to 5 cars. MP 89CC # 48 was the first to enter revenue service on 12 January 2023.

Themed or unique stations
Four stations on Line 6 have unique, cultural theming:


 * La Motte-Picquet – Grenelle contains several crests of the family of Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte, who lends his name to the name of the street over which the station lies. Containing three blue chevrons and spearheads, a fresco represents the wall that used to be situated there.
 * Pasteur, once renovated similar to Mouton-Duvernet station, now has displays about medicine installed during the centennial of the Métro. The panels describe the evolution of biology and medicine since the work of Louis Pasteur and their legal framework and application.

Tourism

 * Some of the stations on line 6 are built on a viaduct offering views of Paris. The view from the Pont de Bir-Hakeim between Passy and Bir-Hakeim has an especially breathtaking panorama on the Eiffel Tower. Line 6 passes near several places of interest:
 * The Place de l'Étoile and the Arc de Triomphe.
 * The place du Trocadéro.
 * The Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars.
 * Montparnasse, with its famous cafés and the Montparnasse Tower.
 * Place d'Italie and the Butte aux Cailles.
 * At Bercy, the Ministry of Finance, Paris-Bercy sports Arena and their gardens.
 * Place de la Nation.