"Un métro + beau" : The metro stations modernization program

The "Un métro + beau" program aims to provide more modern and comfortable metro stations: renovated platforms and corridors, redesigned reception areas, clearer and more comprehensive signage, new seating, more effective lighting... in short, an overhaul of all components from floor to ceiling!

The renovation solutions adopted within the framework of the program, from architectural choices to the selection of materials and techniques, all contribute to the same goal of homogenizing the spaces. The decisions regarding coverings, tiles, and lighting are the result of considerations that include economic, environmental, aesthetic criteria, safety requirements, ease of maintenance, and durability. These choices contribute to a greater coherence of the spaces and allow for the restoration of the metro's original image while integrating the necessary modernization.

Through this program, the RATP fulfills its role as the custodian of this heritage.

Essential components of the international image of the Paris metro, the white tiles are making a comeback in all renovated stations. Their beveled shape, designed to reflect and widely diffuse artificial light, has been redesigned. Easy to maintain and particularly resistant, the new tiles are designed to last as long as the original model from the prestigious Gien faience factory.

With wavy frieze with or without dots, Lille baseboard, or archivolt molding, to perpetuate the metro's memory, the tilers have copied the original ceramics and redesigned the shapes and patterns.

A key aspect of the modernization program is to offer travelers a higher quality of service. The renovated stations are cleaner, more pristine, and, thanks to new equipment, more welcoming. For the architectural design and furniture conception, we relied on designers, architects, and designers.

The most visible symbol, the new metro seat, was selected for its comfort and original shape. Arranged in sets of three to five seats and available in seven colors, its simple and familiar form reflects the platform lights.

Additionally, essential yet often invisible operations are also carried out: replacement and masking of all necessary cabling for metro operation and safety, renovation of premises, masonry work, installation of new validation passages, and more.

The new multimodal signage of the metro aims to help all travelers easily find their way, whether taking the metro, finding their bus, tramway, or the right exit.

More prominent, it alerts, guides, and reassures. More informative, it doubles the number of neighborhood maps. More precise, it designates exits by name and number, making them easy to remember.

Its typography, specially designed in 1996 by typographer Jean-François Porchez, called "Parisine," allows travelers to "see rather than read," to "photograph rather than decipher." Real-time dynamic displays and audible announcements complement this system. Colors, font sizes, contrasts, and letter spacing—all are designed so that travelers can easily read or recognize the signs along their route.

The enameled plaques, which date back to the origins of the metro, symbolize the excellence of a tradition that fits perfectly within the renovation work. Indestructible and impervious to chemicals, these wall-mounted or suspended plaques are found by the thousands across the network (there are 583 at Opéra station alone!). Since all stations are different, each plaque is custom-designed according to its position in the station and its location.

The modernization of the metro includes a more efficient sales service and increased staff availability to assist and inform travelers. The old sales offices are being transformed to offer numerous vending machines and recharge stations for the Passe Navigo. Agents at ticket counters or information desks are equipped with devices that enable them to better inform travelers.

RATP has prioritized metro lighting because light is a crucial element for comfort and safety in underground spaces. The required luminance, a principle reminiscent of natural light, has been achieved by utilizing different types of lighting and the reflective capabilities of surfaces.

This lighting serves as the identity card of metro spaces, revealing their architectural features, organizing transitions between exterior and interior spaces, and guiding travelers. From the street to the platform, no less than 17 types of luminaires smoothly punctuate space changes and enhance the sense of security.