Extending around a circular loop within the fortified walls of Paris is an abandoned railway that once connected the city’s five main lines. Completed in 1852, the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
has been partially abandoned since 1934 and completely silent for the
last few years. The tracks and several stations remain intact, though
its future is the subject of ongoing debate.
Meaning “Little Belt Railway”, the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
was conceived in 1848 as a means of transporting and dispersing troops
swifty around the city’s major fortifications. At a time of revolution
in France and across Europe, the military became increasingly reliant on
the expanding railway network.
