What is the Petite Ceinture?
The petite ceinture is a former double-track railway line that runs around Paris. It was designed in the middle of the 19th century, under the reign of Napoleon III, to respond to a complex railway situation. The various Parisian stations were then the termini for each railway company, whether for the transport of passengers or goods.
The management of the flow of passengers and the difficulty of operating freight traffic in the capital led the Ministry of Public Works to seek a solution by connecting the Parisian stations to a circular line. Located within the boulevards of the Maréchaux and deployed in several sections between 1852 and 1869, the Petite Ceinture was deployed on viaducts, tunnels, or inside trenches. This is one of its particularities: the line is almost invisible from the street.
But in addition to its usefulness in facilitating exchanges between stations, this line also had the objective of ensuring the defence of the capital. It is also for this reason that the Petite Ceinture was built on the route of the fortifications designed by Louis-Philippe (Thiers' Enclosure) in order to be able to supply the city in case of need, with soldiers, food and weapons.
How long is the Parisian "petite ceinture"?
The Parisian "Petite Ceinture" is 32.5 kilometres long. It covers several districts of Paris, including 9 arrondissements, from the 12th to the 20th, and has no fewer than 36 stations in total, including La Rapée-Bercy, Gobelins, Montrouge-Ceinture, Grenelle, Auteuil-Boulogne, Neuilly-Porte Maillot, Avenue de Saint-Ouen, Belleville-Villette, Ménilmontant, Rue d'Avron, etc.
Paris's Petite Ceinture: why and when did it close?
The Petite Ceinture offered a train every 30 minutes and the line was a real success for several decades. The number of passengers continued to increase over the years and even reached a record in 1900, thanks to the Universal Exhibition, with 39 million passengers transported.
However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Petite Ceinture quickly suffered from competition from the metro and the rise of the car. It closed to passengers on 23 July 1934, with the exception of the section of the Auteuil line that was now integrated into the RER C. The goods transport service continued until 1970 and then was gradually reduced in the following years until its disappearance in 1993.
However, the history of the Little Belt does not end there. The flora and fauna have developed and nature has regained its rights, making this space a unique treasure of biodiversity in Paris. Tags, greenery, artistic installations and shared gardens now populate this former railway line.
How to access the Petite Ceinture?
Several sections of the Petite Ceinture are now open for walking. Some former stations have even been transformed into bars and restaurants (La Recylerie, le jardin du Ruisseau and le Hasard Ludique in the 18th arrondissement, le Poinçon Paris and le Saint Laurent in the 14th arrondissement for example).
The Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Petite Ceinture de Paris et de son Réseau Ferré (ASPCRF), founded in 1992, offers an interactive map of all the sections open to the public, as well as details for each section. There are several accesses to the Petite Ceinture:
The longest section is the one in the 12th arrondissement between rue de Charenton and avenue de Saint-Mandé (1.67 km). As the ASPCRF states on its website, it is accessed via Villa du Bel Air (accessible by PRM), Square Charles Péguy (accessible by PRM), rue des Meuniers (accessible by PRM), rue Claude Decaen and rue du Sahel.
13th arrondissement: via 9 rue Augustin Mouchot (accessible by PRM), via 26 rue de l'Interne Loeb (accessible by PRM), via Jardin de la Porte des Peupliers (accessible by PRM).
14th arrondissement: via 124 avenue du Général Leclerc, opposite 96 bis rue Didot.
15th arrondissement: via 99 rue Olivier de Serres (accessible by wheelchair users), Place Balard (accessible by wheelchair users), 397ter-399 rue de Vaugirard (accessible by wheelchair users), 82 rue Desnouettes (accessible by wheelchair users), Place Robert-Guillemard (accessible by wheelchair users)
16th arrondissement: opposite 77 boulevard de Montmorency, at the corner of rue du Ranelagh and boulevard de Beauséjour (accessible to people with reduced mobility), opposite 27 boulevard de Beauséjour (accessible to people with reduced mobility)
17th arrondissement: access via 2 boulevard Péreire and at the corner of rue de Tocqueville and Boulevard Péreire.
18th arrondissement: via the Ruisseau gardens (110 bis rue du Ruisseau), the Recyclerie (83 boulevard Ornano), and the Hasard Ludique (128 avenue de Saint-Ouen).
19th arrondissement: for the first walk, via 30 rue de Thionville and via 177 avenue de Flandre and 95 rue Curial for the second walk.
20th arrondissement: access is via 11 rue de la Mare (accessible to PRM) and 79 rue de Ménilmontant
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