As
early as 1845 there have been plans to build a subway
in Paris. Even back then Paris was a large city, and it
needed a way to get people from place to place quickly
and efficiently. Even today, over one hundred and fifty
years later, this transport system remains an efficient
way of getting around what is easily one of the busiest
cities in the world. Built under Fulgence Bienvenüe
and Hector Guimard (credited for the charming Art Nouveau
entrances) the Metro has 211 km (131 miles) of track and
14 lines, shuttling 3500 cars on a precise schedule between
380 stations (not including RER stations), 87 of these
offering connections between lines. It is said that every
building in Paris is within 500 meters (3/10 mile) of
a Metro station. Roughly 6 million people per day patronize
the Metro, which employs over 15,000 people. |
