It's often regarded by Paris metro users as the worst line. Yet line 13, the second longest in the Paris network behind line 14, is not the busiest. With 115.66 million passengers a year (in 2024), the sky-blue line is the fifth busiest in the network, behind line 1, in first place, then lines 4, 9 and 7/7bis.
Most recently, the extension of line 14 to the north of Paris was designed to relieve congestion on overloaded line 13. In the near future, another project is also set to improve service on line 13: its full automation.
Approved by the Board of Directors ofÎle-de-France Mobilités on December 7, 2022, this automation is to be carried out in two phases, starting with the commissioning of the new-generation metro rail system, MF19, from mid-2027, followed by full automation. But the project will take time. As Valérie Pécresse, President of Île-de-France Mobilités, explained to BFMTV in February 2024, " We need to go station by station, to install the platform doors and the automated systems ".
So, when can users of metro line 13 expect to see the first driverless shuttles in circulation? The answer comes from Siemens Mobility, the German company that won the contract. " The project will begin immediately, and the line will be fully automated with the first driverless shuttles on the road from 2032," Siemens Mobility told AFP on August 26, 2025.
By 2032, line 13 will become the fourth line in the network to be 100% automated, after lines 1, 14 and 4. But in order to fully automate line 13, work will have to be carried out.
Metro line 13, which runs from Saint-Denis-Université / Les Courtilles to Châtillon-Montrouge, has 32 stations and provides connections with 6 tramway lines, 10 metro lines and 2 RER lines.
