Pont de Neuilly: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 1.
Why this name?
The name comes from the proximity of the Pont de Neuilly bridge, which links Neuilly-sur-Seine to Courbevoie and Puteaux, on the historic Paris axis. The station opened as the western terminus of line 1, replacing Porte Maillot; from 1940 to 1950 it was called « Pont de Neuilly - Avenue de Madrid ». It became a through station with the extension to La Défense, which required the back area to be entirely redone, because the subsoil was constrained by the RER A tunnel. A bus station sits above the station.
Anecdote
Between Esplanade de la Défense and Pont de Neuilly, trains cross the Seine on an elevated section in the middle of the bridge, with a 60 ‰ gradient, the steepest on the network. During the automation of line 1, its platforms received screen doors: the second on the line, after Bérault. The green « Ouï-dire » decor, adopted after 1988, made the original bevelled tiles disappear.
Around Pont de Neuilly
- La Défense, 1100 m away — Europe's largest business district, reachable from the Pont de Neuilly.
- Île de la Jatte, 1100 m away — A peaceful island on the Seine, immortalised by Georges Seurat in his famous pointillist painting.
- Neuilly-sur-Seine, 120 m away — An upscale western suburb, known for its elegant residential setting.