Bibliothèque François Mitterrand station

Bibliothèque François Mitterrand (French pronunciation: [biblijɔtɛk fʁɑ̃swa mitɛʁɑ̃]) is a station of the Paris Métro and RER, named after the former French president, François Mitterrand, and serving the area surrounding the new building of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), whose site near the station is also named after Mitterrand, and the Paris Diderot University. It is a transfer point between Line 14 of the Paris Metro and the RER C. It is situated on the Paris–Bordeaux railway.

Bibliothèque
François Mitterrand
Platforms in 2010
General information
Location13th arrondissement of Paris
France
Coordinates48°49′47.36″N 2°22′36.41″E / 48.8298222°N 2.3767806°E / 48.8298222; 2.3767806
Operated by
Construction
Accessible
  • Line 14: Yes
  • RER C: Yes, by prior reservation[1]
ArchitectAntoine Grumbach
Other information
Station code87328328 (RER C)
Fare zone1
History
Opened5 October 1998 (1998-10-05)
Rebuilt2007
Services
Preceding station Paris Métro Paris Métro Following station
Cour Saint-Émilion Line 14 Olympiades
Preceding station RER RER Following station
Gare d'Austerlitz RER C Ivry-sur-Seine

History

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The Bibliothèque François Mitterrand station opened in October 1998 with the opening of Line 14.[2] From the opening of Line 14 until 25 June 2007, this station functioned as the line's southern terminus.[3] Further work extended the line to a new station to the southwest, Olympiades, which opened on 26 June 2007.[3] In June 2024, Line 14 will be extended further south to Orly Airport. During construction of the station, the conceptual name was "Tolbiac – Masséna", before a decision was taken to name the station after the nearby Bibliothèque nationale de France.[3]

In December 2000, the RER C station opened, allowing the transfer of passengers between the metro and RER lines. The nearby Boulevard Masséna [fr] station on RER C closed following the opening of this RER station.[3]

Architecture and art

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Unlike the majority of Line 14 stations, Bibliothèque François Mitterrand station was designed by French architect and urban planner Antoine Grumbach.[2] The station uses many of the design elements used throughout Line 14 such as platform edge doors.

Two pieces of public art are located in the station. La Pluie de citations [fr] (Rain of Quotes) by French writer Jean-Christophe Bailly consists of engraved quotes on medallions, embedded into the station architecture.[4] L'Escalier des signes et des nombres [fr] (Staircase of Signs and Numbers) by Grumach consists of a monumental staircase with numbers in a wide variety of languages.[5]

Nearby attractions

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This station serves the area known as Tolbiac, between the Seine and the train tracks of the network of the Gare d'Austerlitz, which includes the BnF and the headquarters of the Réseau Ferré de France, the BnF's large new cinema, etc.

From this station, within walking distance is the church of Notre-Dame de la Gare, rue de Domrémy, on the Place Jeanne-d'Arc.

Station layout

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The RER station comprises three island platforms and six tracks.

  • The two most easterly tracks (Voies E and F) are southbound for the RER C.
  • The two central tracks (Voies C and D) and their platforms are used in exceptional cases for the rerouting of the RER C trains at Gare d'Austerlitz. Normally the tracks are used by main lines.
  • The two most westerly tracks (Voies A and B) are for the RER C direction North towards Gare d'Austerlitz.
G Street Level Exit/Entrance
B1 Mezzanine to Exits/Entrances
B2 Side platform with PSDs, doors will open on the right
Northbound     toward Saint-Denis–Pleyel (Cour Saint-Émilion)
Southbound     toward Aéroport d'Orly (Olympiades)
Side platform with PSDs, doors will open on the right
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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 (in French and British English). 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bernard Sirand-Pugnet, De la grand-mère à Météor, ID Éditions, 1997, ISBN 978-2912252005, p. 269.
  3. ^ a b c d Lamming, Clive (2015). La grande histoire du métro parisien: 1900 à nos jours. Évreux Grenoble: Éditions Atlas Éditions Glénat. pp. 172–183. ISBN 978-2-344-00403-6.
  4. ^ Ange-Dominique Bouzet (15 October 1998). "Le confort dans le monumental: Deux équipes d'architectes ont conçu les sept stations". Libération..
  5. ^ Ange-Dominique Bouzet (15 October 1998). "Le confort dans le monumental: Deux équipes d'architectes ont conçu les sept stations". Libération..
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