History UsefulNotes / LeMetropolitain

Not so famous about UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} is its ''incredible'' mass transit system, whose organization is so complex it can be daunting to the foreigner.

* The surreal Cave of the Beast sequence in ''WesternAnimation/TheTwelveTasksOfAsterix'' involves a brief shot of Asterix and Obelix in a modern Métro station. Fittingly enough, it's ''Alésia'' station, named after the city where the Gauls historically made their last stand against UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.

Then, you have the '''RER''', ''Réseau Express Régional'', "Regional Express Network", which is a network of rail underground within Paris and ground-level outside of Paris, which serves the entire region of Île-de-France -- sort of like a faster subway. It is operated jointly by RATP, Paris's transit authority, and SNCF, France's national rail company; the difference is largely irrelevant as the transition between RATP and SNCF sections is seamless, and only matters when the RATP or the SNCF are on strike. (Also, at RER stations you also have to go through a ticket barrier on your way out). Unlike the Métro, the RER runs on normal train cars moving through standard railroads, as it was initially planned to use the existing railroads of Île-de-France. While not as iconic as the Métro, the RER more than makes up for it for its incredible size: a total of 587 km of railroad, serving 257 stations.

* ''Zazie dans le Métro'' satirically averts this: the child protagonist wants to wander Paris by Metro, but the whole system is shut down by a strike.
* In ''Film/PeurSurLaVille'', Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo jumped on the roof of a metro train during a chase ([[NoStuntDouble without a stunt double]]).

* Creator/LucBesson's ''Subway'' is set among a group of misfits and homeless people mainly in the Métro.

In addition, there is the '''[[IncrediblyLamePun Transilien]]''' [[note]]Intended to rhyme with ''Francilien'', the term for residents of Île-de-France[[/note]] network, run by SNCF, which operates 8 shorter lines (H, J, K, L, N, P, R and U) around Île-de-France and uses the RER's fare system. (Fun (?) fact: RER C is known as ''Réseau Escargot Régional'' (Regional Snail Network) because its length and its many branches mean even small delays will result in at least one big cascaded delay, whereas RER D line is popularly known as "RER Trash" due to its high rate of accidents and disturbances). The frequent delays due to malfunctions, incidents with users and the occasionnal strike (in 2007, the biggest strike led some people to become stuck in the middle of their trip or at work since you could wait ''up to four hours'' between two trains, if they did not decide to just stop) gives the RATP (''Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens'' - Autonomous Office of Parisian Transports) nicknames such as ''Reste Assis T'es Payé'' (Keep your seat, you're paid), ''Rentre Avec Tes Pieds'' (Go home on foot) or ''Râle Autant que Tu Peux'' (Complain as much as you can).

The bad part? You'd ''better'' understand and know by rote the entire fare system, because if you screw up (for example, you have a ticket for zones 1-5 and you're in zone 6), you have to pay a fine of 86 €, or in US money, $96!

And the worst part? Since this fines-abuse is VERY widespread (all those people you see peeking around the doors into the station are people who skipped the turnstiles and are scouting for railroad cops) the transit lines are often patrolled with railroad cops backed up by the police ''and the military in some cases'' asking for tickets.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Subway'' is set among a group of misfits and homeless people mainly in the Métro.
* One of the stations makes a memorable appearance in ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats''. Edgar carelessly rides his motorcycle down the steps... and then [[Funny/TheAristocats rides back up much faster, just barely escaping an oncoming train]].

* The surreal Cave of the Beast sequence in ''WesternAnimation/TheTwelveTasksOfAsterix'' involves a brief shot of Asterix and Obelix in a modern Métro station. Fittingly enough, it's ''Alésia'' station, named after the city where the Gauls historically made their last stand against UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.

* After Charlie Sheen was sacked from ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'', his character was [[McLeaned killed off-screen]] between seasons by being run over by a Métro train in suspicious and embarrassing circumstances.

Now that you've read all of that, [[https://www.transilien.com/sites/transilien/files/2020-02/REGION_GF_MEP_SNCF_V2020-01.pdf here's a map]] of the whole damn thing.

In addition, there is the '''[[IncrediblyLamePun Transilien]]''' [[note]]Intended to rhyme with ''Francilien'', the term for residents of Île-de-France[[/note]] network, run by SNCF, which operates 8 shorter lines (H, J, K, L, N, P, R and U) around Île-de-France and uses the RER's fare system. (Fun (?) fact: RER C is known as ''Réseau Escargot Régional'' (Regional Snail Network) because its length and its many branches mean even small delays will result in at least one big cascaded delay, whereas RER D line is popularly known as "RER Trash" due to its high rate of accidents and disturbances). The frequent delays due to malfunctions, incidents with users and the occasionnal strike (in 2007, the biggest strike led some people to become stuck in the middle of their trip or at work since you could wait ''up to four hours'' between two trains, if they did not decided to just stop) gives the RATP (''Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens'' - Autonomous Office of Parisian Transports) nicknames such as ''Reste Assis T'es Payé'' (Keep your seat, you're paid), ''Rentre Avec Tes Pieds'' (Go home on foot) or ''Râle Autant que Tu Peux'' (Complain as much as you can).

The '''Bus''' system is similarly divided in two: the RATP lines, which run around downtown Paris, and several lines operated by city or departemental councils, which provide transportation within Ile-de-France. Of note is the night bus, which passes at 30 minute intervals when the last regular busses stop passing, previously known as ''Noctambus'' back when it only served downtown Paris, now renamed '''Noctilien''' because it now reaches out to Ile-de-France.

The subway system, formerly known as the ''Transit Métropolitain'', "Metropolitan Transit" -- later shortened to '''Métro de Paris''' and thus becoming the namer of so many other underground rail systems -- is world-famous for the ArtNouveau architecture of many of its stations, most of them built between 1900 and 1920, as well as for being one of the busiest and densest in the world: 14 main lines with 4 more planned and 2 auxiliary lines (3bis and 7bis) crisscrossing downtown Paris for a total of 214 kilometers (376 while including the future lines). Lines 1 and 14 are totally automated (remote-controlled, in reality). The Châtelet-Les Halles station, which serves a grand total of ''eight lines'' (Subway 1, 4, 7, 11, 14, and RER A, B and D), is the largest and busiest subway station of the world. The passageways connecting between lines at transfer stations tend to be long, tortuous and in many instances one-way. The tickets for the metro are [[FunSize very, very tiny]]. Five of the system's lines (1, 4, 6, 11 and 14) are equipped with rubber-tired trains; Lines 1, 4, 6, and 11 were originally steel-wheeled until the 1960s and 1970s but Line 14 was built new in the 1990s with the rubber-tired system.

Then, you have the '''RER''', ''Réseau Express Régional'', "Regional Express Network", which is a network of rail underground within Paris and ground-level outside of Paris, which serves the entire region of Ile-de-France -- sort of like a faster subway. It is operated jointly by RATP, Paris's transit authority, and SNCF, France's national rail company; the difference is largely irrelevant as the transition between RATP and SNCF sections is seamless, and only matters when the RATP or the SNCF are on strike. (Also, at RER stations you also have to go through a ticket barrier on your way out). Unlike the Métro, the RER runs on normal train cars moving through standard railroads, as it was initially planned to use the existing railroads of Ile-de-France. While not as iconic as the Métro, the RER more than makes up for it for its incredible size: a total of 587 km of railroad, serving 257 stations.

In addition, there is also the '''[[IncrediblyLamePun Transilien]]''' [[note]]Intended to rhyme with ''Francilien'', the term for residents of Ile-de-France[[/note]] network, run by SNCF, which operates 8 shorter lines (H, J, K, L, N, P, R and U) around Ile-de-France and uses the RER's fare system. (Fun (?) fact: RER C is known as ''Réseau Escargot Régional'' (Regional Snail Network) because its length and its many branches mean even small delays will result in at least one big cascaded delay, whereas RER D line is popularly known as "RER Trash" due to its high rate of accidents and disturbances). The frequent delays due to malfunctions, incidents with users and the occasionnal strike (in 2007, the biggest strike led some people to become stuck in the middle of their trip or at work since you could wait ''up to four hours'' between two trains, if they did not decided to just stop) gives the RATP (''Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens'' - Autonomous Office of Parisian Transports) nicknames such as ''Reste Assis T'es Payé'' (Keep your seat, you're paid), ''Rentre Avec Tes Pieds'' (Go home on foot) or ''Râle Autant que Tu Peux'' (Complain as much as you can).

* Under RATP's naming scheme, the first letter indicates the route's terminus, the second letter indicates the service type (E means omnibus, i.e. stops at all stations), the third and fourth letter are just there to make the name pronounceable, and after the code comes a number from 01 to 99, odd when westbound (line A) or northbound (line B) and viceversa, and increased every time a train of the same mission leaves the first station; when the train counter reaches 100, the counter is resetted and the last two letters are changed. ''[=DROP24=]'', for example, means it stops at Noisy-le-Grand Mont d'Est (''D''), it's not omnibus (''R''), and it's the 12th train that has followed this mission so far. When the two last letters are ZZ (e.g. ''DRZZ''), this means the service has been changed for unexpected reasons such as an accident or the trains being on strike; when the first letter is a W, the train is completely nonstop and headed for the maintenance depots.

1. The entirety of Ile-de-France can be easily covered without using a private car even by people who are totally foreign to the country and who speak only a few words of French. Due to the rather complex and crowded road network, the usual advantage of having a car, freedom of movement, is annihilated: one has to know in advance where to go, where to park, where are road tolls to be paid, how to avoid the rush hours and so on. It may be complicated even for a native, a foreign visitor may be totally lost.

* To begin with, under this system, the Ile-de-France region is divided into six concentric fare zones, the sixth receiving special treatment being the farthest from Paris. Since September 2015, the zone system is no longer relevant in the fares save for 3 interzone fees that were kept because they were cheaper than the new unique fee.

The subway system, formerly known as the ''Transit Métropolitain'', "Metropolitan Transit" -- later shortened to '''Métro de Paris''' and thus becoming the namer of so much other underground rail systems -- is world-famous for the ArtNouveau architecture of many of its stations, most of them built between 1900 and 1920, as well as for being one of the busiest and densest in the world: 14 main lines with 4 more planned and 2 auxiliary lines (3bis and 7bis) crisscrossing downtown Paris for a total of 214 kilometers (376 while including the future lines). Lines 1 and 14 are totally automated (remote-controlled, in reality). The Châtelet-Les Halles station, which serves a grand total of ''eight lines'' (Subway 1, 4, 7, 11, 14, and RER A, B and D), is the largest and busiest subway station of the world. The passageways connecting between lines at transfer stations tend to be long, tortuous and in many instances one-way. The tickets for the metro are [[FunSize very, very tiny]]. Five of the system's lines (1, 4, 6, 11 and 14) are equipped with rubber-tired trains; Lines 1, 4, 6, and 11 were originally steel-wheeled until the 1960s and 1970s but Line 14 was built new in the 1990s with the rubber-tired system.

Now that you've read all of that, [[https://www.transilien.com/sites/default/files/atoms/files/plan_idf_sncf_v2016-01_1.pdf here's a map]] of the whole damn thing.

->''"Attention à la marche en descendant du train."[[note]]Please mind the gap while exiting the train.[[/note]]''

Finally, there are also nine '''Tramway''' lines run by RATP, 4 of them operating in the inner-most suburbs in a circle surrounding Paris and the other five linking several main suburb cities between eachother, as well as a recently opened line of '''Vogueo''' boats that can be paid with a regular transport ticket and will move you along the Seine river.

* The surreal Cave of the Beast sequence in ''WesternAnimation/TheTwelveTasksOfAsterix'' involves a brief shot of Asterix and Obelix in a modern metro station. Fittingly enough, it's ''Alésia'' station, named after the city where the Gauls historically made their last stand against UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.

* One of the stations makes a memorable appearance in ''Disney/TheAristocats''. Edgar carelessly rides his motorcycle down the steps... and then [[Funny/TheAristocats rides back up much faster, just barely escaping an oncoming train]].

* In ''VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow'', Sam Fisher infiltrates a cryogenic lab in Paris through the abandoned nearby subway tunnel.

* In the last mission of ''[[VideoGame/{{Commandos}} Commandos 2: Men of Courage]]'', the commandos infiltrate occupied Paris through a subway tunnel that has been closed for renovation (since enemy workers are seen working on it).

* [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} Battlefields 3 and 4]] have the map Operation Métro, famous for being a XP grind.