The city of Paris is full of people. It's so busy! It seems like everyone's moving around all the time. People go to school, to work, or to visit some of the city's famous spots. Therefore, Paris needs a way to get everyone where they want to go.
In the U.S., a lot of people drive cars. However, driving can be difficult here in Paris. The price of gas is pretty high, and there can be so much traffic when it's rush hour. Even buses get stuck for hours in the worst traffic jams. Luckily, the Paris rail system is here to save the day!
The Paris rail system is huge. Many Parisians rely on the trains to move around. Almost four million people use the trains and buses each day! Over 6,000 trains make their way through the Paris region daily. The city has three main train systems, including the Métro, the Regional Trains and the Tramway.
The Métro is one of the most popular ways of getting around Paris. Métro is short for métropolitain, which is a word used to describe a huge and busy city. That's Paris, all right! The best part about the Métro is that it's fast and convenient. There are 302 Métro stations on 16 different Métro lines. This means that wherever you are in Paris, there's probably a Métro running nearby! Mostly, the Métro runs on rails underground. You can only really see the outside on a couple of Métro lines.
