Auber station (French pronunciation: [obɛːʁ]) is a station on RER A in Paris. Opened on 23 November 1971 and inaugurated during a ceremony by singers Dalida and Adamo, it is one of the largest vaulted underground stations in the world.

Auber
Opéra–Havre–Caumartin
Platform in September 2005
General information
Location9th arrondissement of Paris
France
Coordinates48°52′23″N 2°19′44″E / 48.87306°N 2.32889°E / 48.87306; 2.32889
Operated byRATP Group
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Bus routes
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleYes, by request to staff[1]
Other information
Station code87758599
Fare zone1
History
Opened23 November 1971 (1971-11-23)
Passengers
20196,168,061
Services
Preceding station RER RER Following station
Charles de Gaulle–Étoile RER A Châtelet–Les Halles
Connections to other stations
Preceding station RER RER Following station
Neuilly–Porte Maillot RER E Magenta
Preceding station Paris Métro Paris Métro Following station
Europe Line 3
transfer at Saint-Lazare
Havre–Caumartin
towards Gallieni
Saint-Lazare Line 3
transfer at Havre–Caumartin
Opéra
towards Gallieni
Havre–Caumartin Line 3
transfer at Opéra
Quatre-Septembre
towards Gallieni
Pyramides Line 7
transfer at Opéra
Chaussée d'Antin–La Fayette
Madeleine
towards Balard
Line 8
transfer at Opéra
Richelieu–Drouot
Miromesnil Line 9
transfer at Saint-Augustin
Havre–Caumartin
Saint-Augustin Line 9
transfer at Havre–Caumartin
Chaussée d'Antin–La Fayette
Madeleine Line 12
transfer at Saint-Lazare
Trinité–d'Estienne d'Orves
Miromesnil Line 13
transfer at Saint-Lazare
Liège
Pont Cardinet Line 14
transfer at Saint-Lazare
Madeleine

The station comprises a main train hall with a superposed ticket hall, together with an extensive network of tunnels connecting to the neighbouring Métro stations Opéra, Havre–Caumartin and Saint-Lazare, as well as Haussmann–Saint-Lazare on RER E. It takes its name from Rue Auber, under which it is situated. This street is in turn named after the mostly forgotten 19th-century composer Daniel Auber. A complete renovation of the station was started in 2017 and is due to be finished in 2022.

Engineering

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Auber is built in the style of the traditional vaulted Métro station as pioneered by Fulgence Bienvenüe, with central tracks and lateral platforms. The difference in engineering terms is that Auber (along with Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Nation stations) was constructed at depth, entirely underground, on a far larger scale than any Métro station.

To build the 225-metre long, 24-metre wide train hall and its even larger piggy-backing ticket hall, it was necessary to excavate a cavity 40-metre wide, 20-metre high and 250-metre long—this 30-metre underneath the busy city centre in unstable waterlogged sedimentary rock.[2]: 33  The resulting station is cathedral-like in proportions, with a ticket hall so spacious that there is room for a mezzanine. The entire construction is waterproofed on both sides by a 7-metre thick, 10-metre high abutment of concrete which contains escalators linking the two levels.[2]: 158 

The station's eccentrically audacious scale and damp setting earned it references as "the world's largest submarine". With the other two deep single-vaulted stations on RER A it was retrospectively criticised on cost grounds. However, Auber is often mentioned as a good example of a planning policy attached to grand public spaces that was particularly current in the 1960s and in France.

Auber forms part of a complex of connected underground stations. The scale of Auber, in particular, makes the ensemble one of the largest underground stations in the world in terms of volume.

Particulate pollution

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During busy periods, PM10 particle pollution caused by train braking regularly reaches 400 μg/m3 at Auber, eight times the EU Commission's daily average limit.[3]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Plan pour les voyageurs en fauteuil roulant" [Map for travelers in wheelchairs] (PDF). Île-de-France Mobilités. 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Gérondeau, Christian (2003). La Saga du RER et le maillon manquant. Presse de l'École nationale des ponts et chaussées. ISBN 2-85978-368-7.
  3. ^ "Les données | Plateforme opendata de la RATP". Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
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  Media related to Gare d'Auber at Wikimedia Commons