Maintained by Ron Riemar
Last Revised:
"The METRO"
How to Use Public Transportation in Paris
(The Visitor's Guide to Parisian Mass Transit)
Introduction
Paris has one of the finest mass-transit systems in the world, and yet many otherwise courageous visitors to Paris never dare venture into it. Whence the reason for this guide, which attempts to demystify the use of public transportation in Paris, in the hope that, once explained, the system will seem less daunting to the visiting business person or tourist.
Paris public transport includes a conventional subway, a high-speed express subway, and a classic suburban commuter-train system,
as well as a very extensive bus network. In this guide, however, we will discuss only the rail transport portion of the system,
which is in itself largely sufficient for the visitor1.
The reader unfamiliar with the French language will find a small glossary at the end of this guide, intended to aid him in recognizing and pronouncing the signs and other notices that he is likely to encounter in his use of public transportation.
Overview
Rail mass transit in Paris is distributed over three independent but closely interconnected networks: the conventional subway or Métro2, which serves the city proper; the express subway or RER3, which serves the near suburbs and interconnects with the Métro within the city; and the suburban commuter network, which provides service to distant suburbs, and interconnects with the other two networks4.
Mass transit in Paris is managed jointly by two vaguely governmental agencies: the Independent Parisian Transport Authority, or RATP5, and the French National Railways, or SNCF6. You'll see the stylized abbreviation of one of these two names in every station and train.
The rail mass-transit system in Paris is very logically designed and operated and, despite the sprawling extent of the system, you'll rapidly become expert in its use.
Each of the three rail networks in the Paris metropolitan area lends itself to a particular class of trip.
The Métro
The Métro consists of 15 conventional subway lines7, serving 293 stations, almost all of which are within the Paris city limits. Each line is numbered8 and carries trains moving in both directions at regular, frequent intervals; the direction of a train is identified by the last station on the line in that direction. You can make a correspondance (connection) between one line and another wherever the two lines cross9, without leaving the Métro.
You can generally find a Métro station within about a 90-second walk from wherever you may be in Paris, and no point in the city is more than 1000 feet from a Métro entrance. The Métro is all you need to get quickly from one point to another within the city itself.
A one-price fare system for the Métro makes paying for your trip easy. All trips cost the same, irrespective of the station at which you enter the system or the station at which you exit, and irrespective of the number of connections you may need to make10.
All of the Métro is administered by the RATP.
The RER
The RER is a deep-level, high-speed subway11 that passes through Paris itself and extends into distant suburbs. Stations are fewer in number12 but, for long commutes, the high-speed of the RER makes up for the smaller number of stations.
There are four RER lines, identified by letters13. In contrast with most Métro lines, RER lines often split into different branches as they spread into the suburbs14. In other respects, they resemble the Métro.
Most RER stations within Paris allow for connections with the Métro15.
Fares on the RER are based on the distance travelled, as calculated using a system of concentric zones centered on Paris. The city itself is Zone 1, and any ticket providing for travel through Zone 1 also allows travel on the Métro.16
Administration of the RER is shared between the RATP and the SNCF, with the RATP managing line A and part of line B, and the SNCF managing lines C and D.
The Suburban Network
The suburban commuter-train network serves far-flung suburbs, and is a subset of the national rail network. Trains in this network resemble conventional cross-country trains, except for obvious adaptations to the high volume and short duration of commuter traffic. The somewhat simplified ticketing scheme is designed to resemble and fit in with that of the Métro and RER.
The commuter trains have numbers and serve certain stations at certain times, like conventional trains. Naturally, the average trip on the commuter network takes considerably longer than a trip on the Métro or RER, because of the greater distance covered.
The trains of the suburban network enter Paris only to stop at major railway stations. Métro and (usually) RER stations lurk beneath each of these conventional train stations, facilitating connections between the networks.
Finding your Way in the Métro
The Métro is the easiest of the three networks to use.
First, you must find a Métro station entrance. Most Métro stations are underground, since only a small portion of this subway is elevated.17 Stations blend easily into the urban landscape, but they will suddenly become apparent when you look for them. They are usually marked by a sign saying MÉTRO, or by an M in a circle.
Once in the station, you'll need to contemplate paying for your trip. Inside every station is a ticket window that sells various types of tickets for travel in the Métro18. Just walk up to a window that is open and ask for un billet.19 For 7.5 francs, you'll get a green ticket 20 with a magnetic stripe on the back. A single ticket can be used once only, for a trip anywhere within Paris on the Métro.
With ticket in hand, look around for a map before passing through the turnstile. All stations have a large map hidden on a wall somewhere, but you can buy a small, plastic-coated Métro map in many bookstores or at a newstand. Armed with a map, find the station you are in, and the station closest to your destination, then observe the line or lines passing between them.
Having thus found the lines connecting your departure and arrival stations on the map, you must then choose the best path between the two stations. The method varies depending on which lines the two stations are on.21
If both stations are on the same Métro line, the path is obvious: you simply take a train on that line, in the direction of your destination. Keep in mind that, on signs showing the way to a train platform, the direction22 of a train is identified by the name of the last station on the line in the direction the train is travelling.
For example, on line 1 of the Métro, the platform at which westbound trains stop will be marked DIRECTION LA DÉFENSE, because Grande Arche de la Défense is the last station at the west end of this line. Eastbound trains on line 1 will stop at platforms marked DIRECTION CHÂTEAU DE VINCENNES, this station being the eastern terminus of the line.
All Métro station names are unique, which means that only one Métro train in Paris travels in a given direction. Because of this, as long as you find the direction you want, you need not worry about being on the wrong line.23
Once you know how to get to the station closest to your destination, you can enter the "controlled area" of the Métro.24 Insert your ticket into one of the automatic turnstiles and pass through. The turnstile will return your ticket, which you must keep as long as you are in the controlled area, in order to prove that you have paid, should you be asked to show your ticket by a uniformed RATP agent (spot checks are frequent).
Once inside the controlled area, the golden rule is read all the signs.25 As long as you follow the signs, you cannot become lost. No extensive knowledge of French is necessary. Just look for signs mentioning the direction you wish to take, and follow
them.
When you arrive on the platform, you need only wait for a train to arrive. This occurs about every 90 seconds during rush hour, or about every ten minutes during the slowest traffic periods (late at night on Sunday, for example).
Most trains have doors that open only if you press a button or lift a lever on the door. The door closes automatically. Don't try to board the train after the warning buzzer sounds, as this slows traffic (especially during rush hour).
As you ride the train, look carefully at the station names at each stop. The name of the station is always clearly marked on large signs visible from the train. Get off at your destination station or connection station. Be sure to push the button or lift the lever on the door to open it; it won't open by itself.
If you need to make a connection, follow the signs and find your way to the next train. Signs marked CORRESPONDANCE (typically marked in orange) show the way to connecting trains. Signs marked SORTIE (typically marked in blue) show the way to the exit from the Métro. Take care not to exit the Métro completely26 when making a connection, or you'll have to spend another ticket to get back in.
Signs in red, marked PASSAGE INTERDIT, mean "Do Not Enter;" if you follow them, you risk ending up on another platform, in another station, or on another planet. Signs marked SORTIE DE SECOURS, in green, are emergency exits only; use the normal exit instead.
When you arrive at your destination station, follow the SORTIE signs all the way out of the Métro. Congratulate yourself. You've done what many visitors to Paris never learn to do-you've taken the Métro.
After a few trips in the Métro, and especially if you wish to visit the suburbs, you're ready for a trip on the RER.
Finding your Way in the RER
The RER is just a slightly more complicated variation of the Métro. The RER is extremely useful if you wish to travel outside Paris, or if you need to cover a large distance within the city fairly
quickly.
Direct entrances into the RER are relatively rare, since the number of RER stations inside Paris is very small compared to the number of Métro stations; so don't walk around searching for one. You can make connections between the Métro and the RER freely as long as you stay inside the city limits.27
Typically, you will make a connection between the Métro and the RER in order to move more quickly across the city. A connection in the opposite direction, from RER to Métro, will then take you to your final destination, if the RER station itself is not your destination. In practice, however, you'll
find that few trips within the city itself justify connections with the high-speed RER.28
The most important difference between the Métro and the RER is the price. A single Métro ticket is generally good for any trip within the city limit, with or without RER connections. However, once you move outside the city, you'll need a ticket that matches the distance you are travelling, as calculated using the concentric zone system mentioned earlier in this guide. For such trips, always make sure you have the right ticket for your trip, or you may end up stuck in a deserted RER station in the provinces, with no choice but to retrace your steps and buy a new ticket.29
You must use your ticket to enter and exit the RER.30 If you are entering the RER, the turnstile will return your ticket to you. If you are leaving the RER and the system, the turnstile will keep your ticket. If you are leaving the RER but continuing on the Métro, the turnstile will return your ticket. A turnstile that beeps is a turnstile that doesn't approve of your ticket. You can't get out of the RER without a valid ticket, so be careful.31
Unlike Métro trains, in which you usually enter and exit cars on the right side of the train, with respect to the direction of travel32, RER trains may load or unload passengers from either side, depending on the station.
Métro trains stop at every station on the line33, but this is not true for RER trains. All RER stations within Paris are served by every train on a line, but stations outside of Paris may only be served by every third or fourth train. Lighted destination boards on the platform indicate the stations served by each arriving train; the wise traveller glances at these boards before boarding a train for the suburbs, so as to avoid surprise excursions to Marseilles or London.
Most RER lines split into several branch lines as the main line reaches the suburbs. Once again, you must be careful to take a train that continues onto the line you want. The destination stations indicated on the platform will usually make it obvious which branch of the line is being served by an arriving train;
announcements in the train are also made before the branch is taken, if you understand spoken French34.
On the RER, you must always have a first-class ticket to travel in a first-class car. First-class cars are clearly marked with the digit 1; unmarked cars are second-class. There are usually only one or two first-class cars35.
The Suburban Network
If you are planning to travel extensively in the suburbs, you will eventually need to use the network of suburban commuter trains, all of which are operated by the French National Railways.
Most commuter trains have one terminus at one of the main railway stations inside Paris36. All of these railway stations have a Métro station below them; two of them37 have combined Métro and RER stations. You must leave the "controlled area" of the Métro or RER to make a connection, though.
The easiest way to find a train departing for your destination is to look at the departure boards in the station, and pick a train for which the departure board indicates a stop at your destination. If you don't see any such trains, you are either at the wrong railway station or your destination station simply isn't marked
(this is especially likely if the destination station is small). Check the departure displays in front of individual platforms as well. If you still cannot find a train, you'll need to buy an indicateur (schedule of trains) at a newstand in the station. Indicateurs can be fiendishly complicated to read, so be prepared to spend some time decoding them.
If you are at the wrong station, you'll have to take the Métro to the correct station.
The tickets used for commuter trains are similar to those used for the Métro and RER. The fare system is similar to the concentric zone system used on the RER. You can buy tickets at a ticket window, or you can buy them from coin-operated machines in the station.
Tickets should be inserted into the Métro-like automatic turnstiles that generally guard the commuter-train platforms. Often, there are no turnstiles. In some cases, you'll need to time-punch (composter) your ticket in one of the little orange machines that beckon to travellers at strategic points
in the station38. Watch other commuters if you're not sure which of these actions is appropriate.
Whenever you venture into a railway station in search of a commuter train, keep in mind that the word BANLIEUE appears on signs referring to the suburbs, whereas GRANDES LIGNES appears on national rail lines. This is true even for automatic ticket-dispensing machines. Avoid anything with GRANDES LIGNES on it unless you enjoy spur-of-the-moment trips to Amsterdam or Istanbul.
Like any conventional train, a commuter train will leave and arrive at stations at predetermined times, so check schedules and departure boards39. The most frequent departures take place about every fifteen minutes, during rush hour, on the most heavily travelled routes.
Like the RER, the commuter trains have both first-class and second-class cars.
Getting to and from the Airports
If you are visiting Paris from the United States, chances are that you will enter and leave France by air. If you have a significant amount of luggage40, a taxi is usually the most practical way to get to and from the two passenger airports serving Paris (Charles
de Gaulle41 to the north of the city, and Orly to the south).42
If you have only a small amount of luggage, be advised that the mass transit systems of Paris serve the airports. Orly, for example, incorporates a new, fully-automated rubber-tired Métro-like line, called Orlyval, that shuttles regularly between the two Orly terminals (Orly West and Orly South43) and the town of Antony, near the airport.44 From Antony, you can catch line B of the RER northbound to Paris. Combined tickets allowing travel on Orlyval, the RER, and the Métro are available in Métro and RER stations, and at the Orlyval stations at the airport.45 The key is to remember that Orlyval and the RER connect only at the Antony station south of Paris; frequent signs help remind you of this. The direction to take to reach Paris from the Antony station is MITRY-CLAYE or ROISSY-AÉROPORT CHARLES-DE-GAULLE;46 from Paris to Antony, follow the direction ST. RÉMY-LÈS-CHEVREUSE.
To reach Paris from the Charles de Gaulle airport, take the free airport shuttle from the air terminal to the RER B station.47 At the RER station, simply follow the directions ROBINSON or ST. RÉMY-LÈS-CHEVREUSE. To reach the airport from Paris, take RER line B and follow the direction ROISSY-AÉROPORT CHARLES-DE-GAULLE.
Allow about an hour for the trip to either airport from Paris. Add extra time if you are travelling very late or very early, or at any time when there are likely to be fewer trains. Remember to allow time for connections, if necessary.
Getting to EuroDisneyland
Many Americans, after travelling several thousand miles to see Europe, feel strangely compelled to visit EuroDisneyland during their visit to Paris, so a few words about how to reach EuroDisneyland using public transportation are in order here.
The EuroDisneyland theme park is located just outside the MARNE LA VALLÉE-CHESSY station on Line A of the RER. Since this station is also one of the eastern terminii of of Line A, you need only enter the RER and take a train in the direction of MARNE LA VALLÉE-CHESSY. Not all trains have this station as their terminus48, so check destination boards on the platforms to make sure that the train you are boarding is headed towards the correct terminus.49
EuroDisneyland is in Zone 5, so if you have a multiple-use ticket, make sure it is good for at least Zone 5 before using it to travel to EuroDisneyland.
Paying for the Métro
All public transportion in Paris is cheap.50
The easiest way to obtain a Métro ticket is to buy it at the ticket window in a Métro station. It is only necessary to ask for un billet51, and hand over a few francs (the amount required appears on a display at the ticket window)52. If you can read French, you can use the coin-operated ticket machines in the larger stations to buy a ticket anywhere on the Métro or (usually) the RER. Many of these machines will accept a credit card, if you know your PIN.53
As you might expect, buying a single ticket at a time is the most expensive and inconvenient way to pay for your Métro travel, especially as you begin using the Métro more and more frequently. Fortunately, there are alternatives to the single ticket.
You can ask a ticket agent for un carnet, which is a pack of ten tickets54. The carnet is about 40% cheaper per ticket than are single tickets. Some machines distribute carnets of five tickets.
There are more convenient and less expensive tickets available if you plan to use mass transit extensively. These ticket arrangements are as follows:
Formule 1: Good for unlimited travel in second class for one day, on the Métro or the RER.55
Paris-Visite: Allows unlimited travel in first class for three or five days on the Métro, the RER, or the commuter network. It is intended for tourists. Because it is available only in a first-class flavor, however, it isn't necessarily the most economical ticket available.56
Coupon hebdomadaire, also called coupon jaune: This ticket allows unlimited travel on the Métro, the RER, or the suburban network, for a period of one calendar week.57 It is very convenient if your trip happens to fit nicely around week boundaries.
Coupon mensuel: This ticket is the monthly version of the coupon jaune. It is valid for one calendar month, beginning on the first day of the month and ending on the last day.58
Carte « 12 voyages »: This special ticket is good for twelve trips on the Métro or RER, which amounts to one week (excluding Sunday) if you make a trip to and from one location each day. Handy for commuters, less so for visitors.59
As an example, consider that, over a month's time, a coupon mensuel offers a savings of over 50%, assuming two trips per day.
There are many discount ticket arrangements, but as a visitor, you are unlikely to qualify for them.60
All of these arrangements include a single, sturdy, multiple-use ticket that will always be returned to you by turnstiles. A plastic pouch or envelope is also provided61, with a numbered identification card. You must copy the number from this card onto the ticket (the idea is to prevent several people from using the same ticket)62. In the case of some ticket arrangements (notably the coupon mensuel and its weekly and yearly variants), you'll need a passport-sized photo of yourself to stick onto the envelope.63 If you don't have such a photo, photo machines placed in the larger stations can provide you with one in exchange for a suitable coin64. The card with the photo is valid forever; you need only buy new tickets as required.65
Note that not every station in the RER, Métro, or commuter network sells every type of ticket, but major stations generally do.
Paying for the RER and Suburbs
For the RER and the suburbs, you can either buy a ticket specifically for the trip you wish to take (from a ticket window or a machine), or you can buy one of the tickets mentioned in Paying for the Métro, above, with the appropriate zones on it. A monthly coupon mensuel for Zones 1 through 4 will allow you to travel on the Métro, the RER, and the commuter network anywhere within the limits of Zones 1, 2, 3, or 4 with a single ticket, which magically opens all authorized turnstiles.66
Security in the Métro
Security in the Métro, the RER, and the commuter network is excellent. It is extremely unlikely that you will be inconvenienced in any of these networks.
As a general rule, you should use the same common sense that you would use at home, plus a little extra caution to account for the fact that you are in unfamiliar surroundings. Some stations in the Métro and the RER are slightly risky very late at night, just before service ends.67 Some stations are deserted late at night; you may be the only traveller present, and thus an obvious target. Keep in mind that Paris has a relatively low crime rate compared to large American cities, but the crime rate is not zero.68
Pickpockets and purse thieves may be a problem if you don't pay proper attention to your bag or wallet. This is especially true if you look like a tourist. Violent crime is rare.
Every Métro, RER, and commuter-train car has one or more emergency handles near the doors. In an emergency, pulling on this handle signals the engineer and stops the train.69 Carefree tourists who stop trains "just for fun" will discover that the transport authorities have no sense of humor.
In Métro and RER stations, a small intercom, usually a yellow box with a red button, allows you to talk to the stationmaster in case of emergency. Press the button and wait for an answer, then announce which platform you are on (by giving the direction served by the platform), and explain the problem. Although it is unlikely that the stationmaster will speak English, he will certainly understand that something is wrong and send someone to investigate.
Trains in the Métro cannot leave the station while any of the doors on the train are open, but it is best not to test this feature of the system. The doors on the Métro are locked while the train is moving, whereas the doors on commuter trains are not; so do not attempt to open the doors on the latter until the train has stopped.70
An emergency pull-tab behind a breakable window in Métro and RER stations interrupts electrical power to the rails or catenary of trains passing through the station.71
Miscellaneous Information
If you have a camera or camcorder, be advised that it is illegal to take pictures or record with a camcorder in the Métro and RER unless you obtain the prior authorization of the RATP.72 Taking pictures in rail stations is allowed as long as you don't use a tripod, flash, or other equipment likely to disturb other travellers.
Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas of the Métro and RER, including the trains themselves. It is also prohibited in all enclosed areas of train stations and in commuter trains.73 Spitting is prohibited as well.
Very large pieces of luggage are not allowed on the Métro and RER. It isn't very practical to transport luggage in the Métro, anyway (take a taxi).
Animals are not allowed on the Métro and RER unless they are very small and carried in a cage or other enclosure.74
Begging and loitering are prohibited. Things like playing music for money, selling candy or other merchandise75, and related activities, are also prohibited, no matter how often you may see this in the Métro.76
Trains run generally from about 5 AM to about midnight, depending on the line and station. The hours between midnight and 5 AM are used for maintenance on the Métro and RER, and for freight traffic on the commuter-train network.
Glossary
The following brief glossary lists some of the words and phrases you are most likely to encounter in the Métro, RER, or commuter-train networks. The prononciations given, when pronounced by an American, are sufficiently close to the correct pronunciations to be understood.78
accès (ahk-seh): Access. Accès aux quais, This way to the platforms. Accès principal, Main entrance. Accès réservé aux voyageurs muni de billets, This entrance for travellers with tickets only.
alarme (ah-lahrm): Alarm.
appareil de contrôle (ah-pah-ray duh kawn-trohl): Turnstile, or any other device into which you insert a ticket in order to pass into or out of the Métro or RER.
appoint (ah-pwan): Faites l'appoint, Use correct change.79
appuyer (ah-pwee-yay): Push. Appuyer pour ouvrir, Push to open.80
arrivée (ahr-ee-vay): Arrival; destination.
banlieue (bahn-leeyuh): Suburb. Train de banlieue, Suburban commuter train.
billet (bee-yeh): Ticket. Billets, tickets.81 Limite de validité des billets, Tickets no longer valid beyond this point.82 Accès limité aux voyageurs munis de billets, This entrance for travellers with tickets only.83Billet non valable, Ticket expired or ticket invalid.84 Reprenez votre billet, Take back your ticket.85
carnet (kar-neh): Pack of ten tickets (five tickets if they come from a machine).
carte « 12 voyages » (kart dooz vwah-yaj): A type of multiple-use ticket, good for a fixed number of trips.
Carte Intégrale (kart-an-tay-grahl): A yearly transit pass, consisting of a multiple-use coupon and an identity card with a photograph, good for unlimited travel within certain zones for a full year. Not very practical for tourists and other visitors, since you must have an address in France to buy one, and the cheapest Carte Intégrale costs the equivalent of nearly $US 400.86
Carte Orange (kart-oh-rawnj): Orange Card, the identity card with a photograph that accompanies a coupon hébdomadaire (coupon jaune) or coupon mensuel (qq.v.).
chef (shef): Chef de station, Stationmaster. Pour appeler le chef de station, Press here to call stationmaster.87
composter (kawm-pohs-tay): To time-punch a ticket.88
correspondance (kor-es-pawn-dawnss): Connection. Prendre le correspondance sur le quai, Descend to the platform to make connections.89
coupon hebdomadaire (koo-pawn ebb-doh-mah-dehr): A reusable ticket valid for one calendar week, normally accompanied by a Carte Orange.
coupon jaune (koo-pawn zhohn): Yellow ticket; another name for the Coupon hebdomadaire.
coupon mensuel (koo-pawn mawn-soo-ehl): A reusable ticket valid for one calendar month, normally accompanied by a Carte Orange.
défense (day-fawns): Prohibited. Défense de fumer, Smoking prohibited. Défense d'entrer, No admittance.
départ (day-pahr): Departure.
descente (day-sawnt): Descente interdite, Do not get off the train on this side.
direction (dee-rehk-syawn): Direction; the station that is the terminus of a given train.
exact (egg-zahkt): Correct. Mettez la somme exacte, Use correct change.
fermé (fehr-may): Closed.
Formule 1 (for-mool an): A type of multiple-use ticket.
gare (gahr): (Railway) station90. Gares desservies, Stations served.
hebdomadaire (ebb-doh-mah-dehr): Weekly.91 Coupon hebdomadaire, weekly ticket.
indicateur (an-dee-cah-tuhr): Train schedule.92
interdit (an-tehr-dee): Prohibited. Passage interdit, Wrong way. Interdit au public, No admittance. Stationnement interdit, No loitering.93 Fumer interdit, No smoking.
ligne (leen): Line. Grandes lignes, National network (as opposed to commuter network).
mensuel (mawn-soo-ehl): Monthly. Coupon mensuel, monthly ticket.
Métro (may-troh): The conventional subway network serving the city of Paris proper. Also called the réseau urbain (city network).
monnaie (muh-nay): Change. Je rends la monnaie, I can make change.94
ouvert (oo-vehr): Open.
Paris-Visite (pah-ree vee-zeet): A type of multiple-use ticket.
partie (pahr-tee): Partie de train restant en gare, These cars remain in the station.95
passage (pah-sahj): Passageway. Passage interdit, Wrong way. Passage public, Pedestrian underpass.96
première (pruhm-yehr): Première classe, First class. Vous êtes en première classe, You're in a first-class car.
quai (kay): Platform. Accès aux quais, This way to the platforms.
RER (air-uh-air): The Regional Express Network, a system of high-speed subways that interconnect with the Métro.
service (sehr-vees): Service. Hors service, Out of order. En service, Ready for use. Service interrompu, Service discontinued. Service perturbé, Delays expected.97 Réservé au service, No admittance.
sortie (sor-tee): Exit. Sortie de secours, Emergency exit (only).
station (stah-syawn): Station.98
tarification (tah-ree-fee-kah-syawn): Tarification spéciale, Special tickets required.99
terminus (tehr-mee-noos): Terminus; end of the line.100
train (tran): Train. Train court, Short train.101 Train long, Full-length train. Avant du train, Train stops here. Arrière du train, Train ends here. Avant des trains courts, Short trains stop here. Arrière des trains courts, Short trains end here.
tripode (tree-pud): Turnstile.
valider (vahl-ee-day): To insert a ticket into an automatic turnstile.
voie (vwah): Right-of-way; track. Interdiction de traverser les voies, Crossing the tracks is prohibited. Départ voie A, Departure on track A.
voyageur (vwah-yah-zhuhr): Passenger. Ce train ne prend plus de voyageurs, This train is not in service.102
zone (zohn): One of the eight concentric transit-fare zones centered on Paris, and numbered outwards from Paris (the city itself is Zone 1).