Châtelet–Les Halles (French: [ʃɑtlɛ le al]) is a major train hub in Paris and one of the largest underground stations in the world. Opened in 1977, it is the central transit hub for the Paris metropolitan area, connecting three of five RER commuter-rail lines and five of sixteen Métro lines. The hub hosts 750,000 travellers per weekday (493,000 for the RER alone) and platforms separated by up to 800 metres (0.5 mi). It is named after the nearby Place du Châtelet public square and Les Halles, the former wholesale food market of Paris, now a shopping mall.
