Paris Métro unveils a its new jingle
Melody can also be heard on buses, trams and trains in an attempt to unify the whole network
Ile-de-France Mobilités said its primary objective for the new melody was to offer “a simple, legible and consistent travel experience to passengers”
Alexandru Nika/Shutterstock
Métro users in Paris are bidding farewell to the network’s emblematic five-note jingle as it is slowly replaced by a brand new sound signature.
Ile-de-France Mobilités, the public transport authority for the entire Ile-de-France region, started rolling out the new earworm in mid-January.
It can also be heard on buses, trams and trains in an attempt to unify the whole network.
Until now, each operator, such as RATP or SNCF Voyageurs Transilien, broadcast its own sound identity, resulting in different jingles depending on the lines, stations or modes of transport passengers used.
RATP’s offering – which launched in 2005 – was used for station announcements on the Métro as well as in buses, while the familiar four-note SNCF jingle could be heard on trains.
Ile-de-France Mobilités said its primary objective for the new melody was to offer “a simple, legible and consistent travel experience to passengers”.
It added: “The year 2026 was the right time to create this new identity with the opening of the new Métro line 18 and the continued opening to competition.”
The jingle – six notes in three beats – was created by composer Arnaud Biscay and Jean Dindinaud, director of the production studio Chez Jean, over “two to three months”.
It uses synthesizers as well as acoustic sounds with a mix of marimba, glockenspiel, piano, and strings.
Mr Dindinaud told franceinfo: “It has to be simple, it’s a bit like a Japanese haiku.
“You need to find something everyone can pick up, a gimmick.”
The new sound signature will be phased in gradually: it will be heard throughout the Paris Métro by July 1, and across all Ile-de-France transport services by the end of the year.
When The Connexion asked regular Métro users for their views on the change, the reaction was mixed.
Sophie Gauthier, who commutes to Paris for work, said: “I have a very strong attachment to the old one as I grew up with it. Also, it’s culturally relevant as it featured in many TV series and movies. Some people suggest the new one is more modern, but I find the change plain weird.”
Others professed no opinion, while one believed the previous Métro jingle would be forgotten “within 10 days”.
“Evocative”, “subtle” and “simple” were among compliments for the new melody.
Concerns were also raised about whether the process of changing the jingle had been a good use of taxpayers’ money.
