While lines 11 and 14 of the Paris metro were extended last year, what is the status of the project to extend line 1 east to Val-de-Fontenay?
In December 2024, the project was revived following a vote by the Board of Directors of Île-de-France Mobilités.
Will line 1 of the metro ever be extended east to Val-de-Fontenay? This is the burning question on the minds of many Parisians. The project, first proposed in 1934, has pitted public transport advocates against environmentalists for years. In this case, there are two opposing associations: the Métro Rigollots Val-de-Fontenay association, which is in favor of the extension, and the National Tree Observation Group (GNSA), which is against the project. At the center of the debate? The Bois de Vincennes.
In December 2022, the project was rejected by Clément Boné, then the Minister of Transport. At the time, the plan was to build a tunnel of about 5 km from the current terminus at Château de Vincennes to the Val-de-Fontenay RER station. The project poses a particular threat to the century-old trees in the Parisian forest.
At the time, Clément Boné told AFP: “It is impossible to declare the project in the public interest in its current form, since its environmental impact is worrying, especially in the Vincennes forest.” “The project needs to be finalized and the state will provide support to help it move forward,” he added.
But in December 2024, the issue was back on the agenda after the Board of Directors of Île-de-France Mobilités voted to resume studies on the extension of Line 1. As our colleagues at Le Parisien reported on December 16, a funding agreement was signed to carry out new studies and re-survey the population until 2027.
The project involves extending Line 1 to the east. Currently, Line 1 of the metro runs from La Défense to the Château de Vincennes station, crossing the Champs-Élysées, La Concorde, Châtelet and the Gare de Lyon. The aim of this extension is to extend Line 1 from its current terminus at Château de Vincennes to the Val de Fontenay station in Val-de-Marne. The result? Three new stations will be built: “Les Rigollots” in Fontenay-sous-Bois, “Grands Pêchers” in Montreuil and “Val de Fontenay” in Fontenay-sous-Bois.
On its website, Île-de-France Mobilités states that the extension of metro line 1 will provide new connections to RER lines A and E, as well as to the future metro line 15 (Grand Paris Express) and the terminus of the future extension of tram line T1.
