Gare d'Auber

Auber (French pronunciation: ​[obɛːʁ]) is a station on RER A in Paris. Opened on 23 November 1971 and inaugurated during a ceremony by singers Dalida and Adamo, it is one of the largest vaulted underground stations in the world.

Auber
RER station
Platform in 2005
Location	France
Coordinates	48.873°N 2.329°E / 48.873; 2.329
Owned by	RATP
Operated by	RATP
Line(s)
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	8775859
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	23 November 1971 (1971-11-23)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	6,168,061
Services
Preceding station   RER   Following station Charles de Gaulle–Étoile toward Saint Germain-en-Laye, Cergy-le-Haut or Poissy Châtelet–Les Halles toward Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy Connections to other stations Preceding station   Paris Métro   Following station Saint-Lazare toward Pont de Levallois – Bécon Transfer at: Havre – Caumartin Opéra toward Gallieni Havre – Caumartin toward Pont de Levallois – Bécon Transfer at: Opéra Quatre-Septembre toward Gallieni Pyramides toward Villejuif – Louis Aragon or Mairie d'Ivry Transfer at: Opéra Chaussée d'Antin – La Fayette toward La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945 Madeleine toward Balard Transfer at: Opéra Richelieu – Drouot toward Créteil – Pointe du Lac Saint-Augustin toward Pont de Sèvres Transfer at: Havre – Caumartin Chaussée d'Antin – La Fayette toward Mairie de Montreuil Madeleine toward Mairie d'Issy Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Trinité – d'Estienne d'Orves toward Front Populaire Miromesnil toward Châtillon – Montrouge Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Liège toward Les Courtilles or Saint-Denis – Université Terminus Transfer at: Saint-Lazare Madeleine toward Olympiades Preceding station   RER   Following station Terminus Transfer at: Haussmann–Saint-Lazare Magenta toward Chelles-Gournay or Tournan

The station comprises a main train hall with a superposed ticket hall, together with an extensive network of tunnels connecting to the neighbouring Métro stations Opéra, Havre–Caumartin and Saint-Lazare, as well as Haussmann–Saint-Lazare on RER E. It takes its name from Rue Auber, under which it is situated. This street is in turn named after the 19th-century composer Daniel Auber. A complete renovation of the station was started in 2017 and is due to be finished in 2022.

Engineering

Auber is built in the style of the traditional vaulted Métro station as pioneered by Fulgence Bienvenüe, with central tracks and lateral platforms. The difference in engineering terms is that Auber (along with Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Nation stations) was constructed at depth, entirely underground, on a far larger scale than any Métro station.

To build the 225-metre long, 24-metre wide train hall and its even larger piggy-backing ticket hall, it was necessary to excavate a cavity 40-metre wide, 20-metre high and 250-metre long—this 30-metre underneath the busy city centre in unstable waterlogged sedimentary rock.[1]^:33 The resulting station is cathedral-like in proportions, with a ticket hall so spacious that there is room for a mezzanine. The entire construction is waterproofed on both sides by a 7-metre thick, 10-metre high abutment of concrete which contains escalators linking the two levels.[1]^:158

The station's eccentrically audacious scale and damp setting earned it references as "the world's largest submarine". With the other two deep single-vaulted stations on RER A it was retrospectively criticised on cost grounds. However, Auber is often mentioned as a good example of a planning policy attached to grand public spaces that was particularly current in the 1960s and in France.

Auber forms part of a complex of connected underground stations. The scale of Auber, in particular, makes the ensemble one of the largest underground stations in the world in terms of volume.

Particulate pollution

During busy periods, PM10 particle pollution caused by train braking regularly reaches 400 μg/m³ at Auber, eight times the EU Commission's daily average limit.[2]

Gallery

• 
  Ticket hall of Auber
• 
  Ticket hall of Auber
• 
  Main hall
• 
  Renovation of the main hall in 2020

Connected stations

Auber is connected to the following stations:

• Havre – Caumartin
  • Paris Métro Line 3
  • Paris Métro Line 9
• Opéra
  • Paris Métro Line 3
  • Paris Métro Line 7
  • Paris Métro Line 8
• Haussmann–Saint-Lazare
  • RER E
• Saint-Lazare
  • Paris Métro Line 3
  • Paris Métro Line 12
  • Paris Métro Line 13
  • Paris Métro Line 14
• Saint-Augustin
  • Paris Métro Line 9

See also

• List of stations of the Paris RER
• List of stations of the Paris Métro

References

1. Gérondeau, Christian (2003). La Saga du RER et le maillon manquant. Presse de l'École nationale des ponts et chaussées. ISBN 2-85978-368-7.
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)