Opéra (Paris Métro)

Opéra
Paris Métro station
Location	Pl. de l'Opéra (two) 6, rue Scribe 43, av. de l'Opéra 2nd arrondissement of Paris Île-de-France France
Coordinates	48°52′14″N 2°19′56″E / 48.870636°N 2.3323526°ECoordinates: 48°52′14″N 2°19′56″E / 48.870636°N 2.3323526°E
Owned by	RATP
Operated by	RATP
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	19 October 1904
Services
Preceding station   Paris Métro   Following station Havre - Caumartin toward Pont de Levallois - Bécon Quatre-Septembre toward Gallieni Pyramides toward Villejuif - Louis Aragon or Mairie d'Ivry Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette toward La Courneuve - 8 Mai 1945 Madeleine toward Balard Richelieu - Drouot toward Créteil - Pointe du Lac Connections to other stations Preceding station   Paris Métro   Following station Saint-Augustin toward Pont de Sèvres Transfer at: Havre - Caumartin Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette toward Mairie de Montreuil Madeleine toward Mairie d'Issy Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Trinité - d'Estienne d'Orves toward Front Populaire Miromesnil toward Châtillon – Montrouge Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Liège toward Asnières – Gennevilliers – Les Courtilles or Saint-Denis – Université Terminus Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Madeleine toward Olympiades RER Charles de Gaulle - Étoile toward Saint Germain-en-Laye, Cergy-le-Haut or Poissy Transfer at: Auber Châtelet – Les Halles toward Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy Terminus Transfer at: Haussmann - Saint-Lazare Magenta toward Chelles-Gournay or Tournan
Location
Opéra Location within Paris

Opéra is a station of the Paris Métro, named after the nearby Opera Garnier, built by the architect Charles Garnier. It is located at the end of the Avenue de l'Opera, one of the accesses being opposite the Opera, and serves the district of the Boulevard Haussmann. Three Métro lines (3, 7 and 8) cross each other at one point, known as a "well".

The station offers a connection to the following stations:

• Auber on RER line A
• Haussmann – Saint-Lazare on RER line E
• Havre – Caumartin on lines 3 and 9
• Saint-Augustin on line 9
• Saint-Lazare on lines 3, 12, 13 and 14

The station is famous for its strong odors of sewers. When it was being built, there were concerns that one of Hector Guimard's characteristic iron metro entrances would spoil the view of the opera house, so a marble entrance was built instead.

History

Construction under scaffolding in the Place de l'Opéra. The roof of line 3 leading to the Rue Auber is visible.

The line 3 platforms opened on 19 October 1904 as part of the first section of the line opened between Père Lachaise and Villiers. A twenty metre high masonry well was built to avoid the need for heavy underpinning work when lines 7 and 8 were planned to be built. This work was affected by groundwater, which required the support of three concrete pillars, made by sinking caissons with workers digging out the mud with compressed air. The work lasted eleven months, from March 1903 to February 1904.^[1] The line 7 platforms opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the first section of the line opened between Opéra and Porte de la Villette. The line 8 platforms opened on 13 July 1913 as part of the first section of the line opened between Opéra and Beaugrenelle (now Charles Michels station on line 10).

Station layout

Street level		Accesses
B1		Mezzanine for platform connection
Line 3 platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Westbound	← toward Pont de Levallois – Bécon (Havre – Caumartin)
	Eastbound	→ toward Gallieni (Quatre-Septembre) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

Line 7 platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Southbound	← toward Villejuif – Louis Aragon or Mairie d'Ivry (Pyramides)
	Northbound	→ toward La Courneuve – 8 Mai 1945 (Chaussée d'Antin – La Fayette) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

Line 8 platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Westbound	← toward Balard (Madeleine)
	Eastbound	→ toward Pointe du Lac (Richelieu – Drouot) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

Gallery

• 

  Line 3 platforms at Opéra

• 

  Line 7 platforms at Opéra

• 

  Line 8 platforms at Opéra

• 

  Opéra platform signage

References

1. Robert, Jean (1983). Notre métro ("Our metro") (in French). p. 54.