While some Paris metro stations were built but never put into service, others received passengers for a time, before closing for good and sinking into oblivion. Such is the case of the Saint-Martin stop, located between Strasbourg-Saint-Denis and République, on lines 8 and 9, which was abandoned in 1939, at the start of the Second World War. In the capital, 12 stations are thus described as ghosts. But why so many?
In the case of Saint-Martin station, where you can still see the platforms if you concentrate hard enough when taking the metro, the war was responsible for its closure. In September 1939,"on the day of mobilization, due to a lack of personnel, 173 of the 332 stations in existence at the time were taken out of service" , explains Philippe Ventejol, head of network development at RATP, to Le Point. This explains the network's reduction from 159 to 93 kilometers. While the majority have since reopened, some have gradually ceased to operate.
Unlike some of the smaller stations, Saint-Martin was a major transit point, with two metro lines and four platforms. However, its closure was due to its close proximity to neighboring Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, only 100 meters away. You can still see the remains of its access between boulevard Saint-Martin and rue René-Boulanger. Since then, the train's platforms have been used to house the homeless, and for advertising campaigns by brands such as Nissan, Nike and Microsoft.
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