From 11 a.m. on Tuesday May 31, two hours before the official inauguration of the extension of line 12, many people were already stopping in front of the new Mairie d'Aubervilliers metro station.
"It will make my life a lot easier," smiles Josiane, a retired resident of Aubervilliers.
I've lived here for twenty years and I've been waiting for the metro for twelve years.
»
Leaning over the metro entrance, Marie-Claire carefully observes the stairs leading down to the metro entrance.
"I was part of the National Federation of Associations of Transport Users (
FNAUT
) of Île-de-France, so I made petitions for line 12 to come here", proudly underlines the retiree .
The inhabitants of Aubervilliers have been calling for their metro station since 1997. The work was launched in 2012. "The metro will allow us to decompartmentalize our territory and entire districts, this will promote exchanges and diversity", highlighted Karine Franclet, the mayor (UDI) of Aubervilliers, before cutting the inaugural green ribbon alongside many personalities, among others Valérie Pécresse, the president (LR) of the regional council of Île-de-France and Île-de -France Mobilités, Stéphane Troussel, the president (PS) of the departmental council of Seine-Saint-Denis, as well as Catherine Guillouard, the president and general manager of the RATP group.
Aubervilliers, Tuesday.
Many residents came to attend the official inauguration, with the mayor (UDI) of the city, Karine Franclet, the president of the department Stéphane Troussel, the president of the region Valérie Pécresse, as well as the president of the RATP Catherine Gouillard.
LP/AH
One of Aimé Césaire's nieces was also present because it is not one but two new stations, which opened on Tuesday in the territory of Aubervilliers.
The name of the famous Martinican writer and politician was given to the penultimate station.
At 1 p.m. sharp, the new Mairie-d'Aubervilliers station opened its doors to users.
Seconds later, Meriem and Linda were eagerly descending the steps to reach the station.
Paris in six minutes
“I took my day off for the inauguration, I don't know how far we're going to go yet,” confides, beaming, Lynda, installed in the first train to leave.
“It's a relief, says Meriem, who takes the metro to work in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.
We will no longer have to go to Quatre-Chemins (a
station on line 7
), where we are accosted and annoyed.
»
With the two new stations, Aimé-Césaire and Mairie-d'Aubervilliers, users will be able to reach Paris in six minutes and Saint-Lazare station in twenty minutes.
“It will be much faster, appreciates Faïk, who travels all over Paris to work in the building industry.
Before, we had to take the 512 bus to get to the first metro.
This shuttle, which linked the town hall of Aubervilliers to the Front-Populaire station, the former terminus of line 12, made its last rotations yesterday.
" I do not believe it "
From the entrance hall to the metro trains, the station is photographed from all angles.
“I came from Meaux (
Seine-et-Marne
) to attend the inauguration,” says Waotta, a camera slung over his shoulder.
"Visually, it's grandiose," raves this student passionate about trains, who attended the inauguration of the Bagneux station (Hauts-de-Seine), on line 4, in January.
Read alsoExtension of the metro lines: after the extension of the 12 in Aubervilliers, who is next?
Posted in front of the sign that indicates the different stations of line 12, Noémie immortalizes with her phone the proof that the terminus is indeed in the city.
“I did not believe it when the line opened, breathes the resident.
Heard it on TV, dropped all my obligations and came to see.
»
Line 12 is extended by 2 kilometers to the north, with two new stations: Aimé-Césaire and Mairie-d'Aubervilliers.
LP/AH
At the Front-Populaire station, in the direction of Mairie-d'Aubervilliers, most users get off the metro while a few curious people get on the train.
"I live in Front-Populaire, but I came to see what the station looks like in Aubervilliers," says Michelle, a communication student.
Arrived at the new terminus, she takes out her phone to take a picture, while the line 12 train resounds with a new message: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming to Mairie d'Aubervilliers, the terminus”.
