Line 2 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métrorapid transit system in Paris, France. Situated almost entirely above the former city walls, it runs in a semi-circle in the north of Paris. As its name suggests, Line 2 was the second line of the Métro to open, with the first section put into service in December 1900; it adopted its current configuration in April 1903, running between Porte Dauphine and Nation. There have been no changes in its service pattern since. At in length, it is the seventh-busiest line of the system, with 92.1 million passengers in 2004. Slightly over of the line is built on an elevated viaduct with four aerial stations. In 1903, it was the location of the worst incident in the history of the Paris Métro, the fire at Couronnes.
History
Chronology
13 December 1900: The first portion of line "2 Nord" was opened between Porte Dauphine and Étoile.
7 October 1902: The line was extended from Étoile to Anvers.
31 January 1903: The line was extended from Anvers to Bagnolet.
2 April 1903: The line was extended from Bagnolet to Nation.
C: from Porte Maillot to Menilmontant, using line B tracks from Étoile to Batignolles.
However, after a detailed traffic study was conducted, changes were proposed to the tracks lying west of Étoile: the segment from Étoile to Porte Maillot of line C would be integrated into line A, and line C would pick up the segment from Étoile to Porte Dauphine. This change allowed trains on line B to stop at Porte Dauphine, and thus Porte Dauphine was designated the terminus and origin of line B. Shortly thereafter, line B was split into two lines in hopes of simplifying its use; the section from Porte Dauphine to Nation was designated as Line 2 North, and the remaining section from Nation to Étoile was designated Line 2 South. Line 2 South would eventually become line 6. The first section of line 2 was constructed at the same time as line 1, opening only a little later on December 3, 1900. This section consisted of three stations, Porte Dauphine, Victor Hugo, and Étoile, and was circulated by rolling stockconsisting of three cars each. At Étoile, trains reversed direction via a track transfer, while at Porte Dauphine and Nation direction was reversed using a turn-around loop.
Map and stations
This line counts 25 stations.
Renamed stations
Tourism
The elevated line between Barbès – Rochechouart and Jaurès stations offers views of Paris.
Metro line 2 passes near several places of interest :
*Avenue Foch, which is the largest avenue in Paris, and the Arc de Triomphe.
