Île-de-France Mobilités: why are metro lines still not accessible to all?

If you travel on one of the 14 lines of the Paris metro, you're likely to ask yourself at some point, when you see young parents struggling to carry a stroller up the stairs, people on crutches also on the stairs, or elderly people with a cane in their hand having to climb three ramps on the way up: why isn't the Paris metro still accessible to all in 2023?

With less than 9% of Paris metro stations fully accessible for all by the time of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the question remains. On February 11, 2005, the law on equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship for disabled people was passed. It includes the obligation to make public transport networks accessible to all types of disability, within a 10-year timeframe. Although the law set a new deadline of 2024 for achieving this objective, it has to be said that the Paris metro is far from being accessible, particularly for people with reduced mobility.

2024 Paralympic Games: only 9% of metro stations accessible to people with disabilities
There's still a year to go before the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and yet public transport is still not accessible to disabled people in the capital, a situation that's causing concern. [Read more]

In fact, if these measures have not been implemented on lines 1 to 13 of the Paris metro (since only line 14 is 100% accessible), it's because these lines have been granted an extension, due to proven technical impossibility, constraints concerning the conservation of architectural heritage or exceptional conditions that could adversely affect users (very long works with an impact on general traffic, in particular).

So, if you're looking for metro lines accessible to all handicapped people, you'll have to wait for the opening of future lines 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the Grand Paris Express, or fall back on line 14, despite the many days it has been closed recently. The extension of lines 4, 11 and 14 will also enable the creation of 33 new stations with fully independent access. Since 2005, all metro, tramway and RER line projects... So, even if some metro lines are not accessible, Île-de-France Mobilité guarantees that there is always an accessible alternative route for any disabled person wishing to travel on the Ile-de-France public transport network.

Île-de-France Mobilités: why are metro lines still not accessible to all?

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