La Défense: station history
Served by: metro line 1, RER E.
Did you know?
Opened with the extension of line 1 from Pont de Neuilly, the station was first called « Grande Arche de La Défense »; it was renamed in 1997 to match the RER station. It lies under the business district's slab, in the commune of Puteaux, between the CNIT and the Quatre Temps shopping centre, with twelve entrances. Two parallel half-stations, separated by the interchange hall, frame the transport hub, where RER A runs on the lower level; RER E also serves it.
Anecdote
In the 1970s, an underground box was set aside under the Quatre Temps for an « Élysées - La Défense » station; for economic reasons, the RATP finally built the station in the space reserved for the A14 motorway, and this shell was never used. The ceiling is covered with black fireproof spray, highlighted by a red light strip, and platform screen doors line the platforms. Near the CNIT, a sculpture by César, « Le Pouce » (The Thumb), stands in the car park of a hotel.
Around La Défense
- Grande Arche, 90 m away — A monumental structure opened in 1989, large enough to fit Notre-Dame beneath its central opening.
- CNIT, 250 m away — An exhibition centre with a bold concrete vault, one of the first major buildings in the business district.
- Esplanade de La Défense, 1050 m away — A vast pedestrian promenade dotted with contemporary art, the heart of the business district.