Grand Paris Metro progresses with Line 16 awards 25 Oct 2018

Societé du Grand Paris is on target and making good progress with its €25.9 billion (US$29 billion) Grand Paris Express expansion of the Paris Metro, which is designed to connect stations orbitally and prevent the need to travel into central Paris and out again to reach urban destinations.

To date, 11 contracts have now been awarded – eight on Line 15 South, three on extension of Line 14 south to Orly Airport. With these, two recently awarded contracts begins work on Line 16 to the north and east (Fig 1). There are now approximately 100 construction sites in operation across greater Paris of which 65 are civil engineering works and 35 are enabling works for relocation of underground utilities and networks. As these works progress, further tenders on the project are expected to be announced in early 2019.

One of the contracts for Line 16 is awarded to Salini Impregilo for a value of €718.8 million. The Lot 2 contract involves 11.1km of running tunnels and construction of four stations at Aulnay, Sevran-Beaudottes, Sevran-Livry and Clichy Montfermeil. The second Line 16 contract, Lot 1 has been awarded to Eiffage for a value of €1.84 billion and involves excavation of more than 19km of running tunnels and construction of five stations at Stade de France, La Courneuve Six-Routes, Le Bourget RER and Le Blanc – Mesni l and Saint-Denis Pleyel.

For Salini Impregilo, the Line 16 contract adds to the €203 million contract it was awarded in a joint venture with partner Nouvelles Générations d’Entrepreneurs in March 2018 to extend Line 14 to Orly Airport. The contract involves awarded by La Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) is for one of four contracts that will make up the 14km Line 14 extension and involves excavation of 4.1km of running tunnel from Pont de Rungis station to the site of a new station at Orly. With the latest award, the combined value of the work being undertaken by Salini Impregilo on the Paris project is now €1 billion. The Line 16 contract is the largest in value and size to be awarded to a foreign company for the project. Salini Impregilo reports that it will assign 20% of the Line 16 contract value to local subcontractors and employ disadvantaged workers for 5% of the total number of hours estimated to be needed to complete its Lot 2 section of the metro line.

The two contracts awarded on the Paris Metro marks the return to France for Salini Impregilo 20 years after its work on the city’s Est-Ouest Liaison Express (EOLE) between 1992 and 1998 and its contribution to the METEOR line (Metro Est-Ouest Rapide).

Along with new contracts awarded, construction progress sees two Herrenknecht TBMs in operation for the project and another two ready for launch. The first TBM launched in April 2018 on a 2.2km drive from the site of the future control center of Line 15 South in Champigny-sur-Marne to Villiers-sur-Marne. The second launched in September 2018 from Nois –Champs also on Line 15 working on a 4.7km drive to Br–Villiers–Champigny, one of the future stations of the Grand Paris Express.

The third TBM, also provided by Herrenknecht, is due to launch from Bagneux in January 2019 on Package 5 of Line 15 South and in 2019 a further three TBMs will launch on Line 15 South, and four more will begin in 2020. A further six TBMs will launched in 2019 for excavation of running tunnels on Line 16. Herrenknecht is to supply all 10 TBMs to be used on the €3.7 billion 33km underground route of the first Line 15 South section that will link Pont-de-Sèvres to Noisy-Champs.

Contracts to be awarded in early 2019 will be for Line 17 between Le Bourget RER Station (not included) and Triangle de Gonesse Station and for Line 18 between Orly Airport Station (included) and Palaiseau Station (included).

Contracts awarded to date;

Line 16
Package 1 (February 2018)
Scope: lot 1 of the Grand Paris Express line 16. The contract involves excavating 19.3km of tunnels, and building 5 stations: Stade de France, La Courneuve Six-Routes, Le Bourget RER and Le Blanc – Mesni l and Saint-Denis Pleyel, Contractor: A consortium led by Eiffage (via its Eiffage Génie Civil subsidiary), and including Razel – Bec, TSO (a subsidiary of NGE) and TSO Caténaire, Icop and Capocci as well as partners from engineering firms Sweco and Antea
Award value: €1.84 billion.

Package 2 (October 2018)
Scope: Lot 2 of Grand Paris Express Line 16. 11.1km of running tunnels and construction of four stations at Aulnay, Sevran-Beaudottes, Sevran-Livry and Clichy Montfermeil.
Contractor: Salini Impregilo
Award value: €718.8 million

Line 14 extension South
Package 3 – South (March 2018)
Scope: GC03 –4km of line between, Chevilly Trois Communes, MIN Porte de Thiais and Pont de Rungis, including construction of stations. 
Contractor: A consortium led by Fayat group - and also including Eiffage Génie Civil, Sefi-Intrafor, Eiffage Fondations and I.CO.P
Award value: €365 million

Package 2 - South (March 2018)
Scope: GC04- 4.1km tunnel from Pont de Rungis station to the site of a new station at Orly.
Contractor: A joint venture of Salini Impregilo and Nouvelles Générations d’Entrepreneurs (NGE) 
Award value: €203 million

Package 1 – South (Feb 2018)
Scope: GCO2 –including 4.6km of tunnel and the new Kremlin Bicêtre Hôpital station, Maison Blanche Paris XIII future station and the TBM starting shaft at Jean Prouvé. It also includes construction of the five ventilation and emergency shafts.
Contractor: A consortium of Dodin Campenon Bernard; Vinci Construction France; Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Botte Fondations. They will be working with Spie batignolles Génie Civil and Spie Batignolles Fondations.
Award value: €400 million

Line 15
Package 8 (July 2017):
Scope: Civil works for the Noisy-Champs underground interchange station that will connect Metro Lines 15, 16 and 11 and the city’s RER A regional express line. A 370m-long cut-and-cover tunnel in front of the station is included in the contract to accommodate local traffic.
Contractor: A joint venture led by Vinci Construction with Dodin Campenon Bernard, Spie Batignolles TPCI, Botte Fondations and Spie Fondations.
Award value: €156 million

Package 7 (June 2017):
Scope: Construction of two underground stations and a 4km bored tunnel between Isle-de-Monsieur and Fort d'Issy-Vanves-Clamart.
Contractor: A consortium led by Bouygues Travaux Publics with Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Tunnels, Bessac and Sade
Award value: €513 million

Package 6 (April 2017):
Scope: 7.2km of bored tunnel between Créteil l'Échat and Bry-Villiers-Champigny Stations using two TBMs launched from both ends of the section and included is construction of the Saint-Maur-Créteil, Champigny Center and Bry-Villiers-Champigny Stations.
Contractor: A JV of Eiffage Génie Civil (leader) and Razel-Bec
Award value: €795 million

Package 5 (February 2017):
Scope: An 8km-long x 8.7m diameter bored tunnel between Issy-Vanves-Clamart and Villejuif-Louis-Aragon Stations employing two TBMs. Also included is construction of five stations – Châtillon-Montrouge, Bagneux, Arcueil-Cachan, Villejuif Institut Gustave-Roussy and Villejuif Louis-Aragon – and a TBM launch shaft.
Contractor: A consortium of Vinci Construction Grands Projets (leader), Spie Batignolles TPCI, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Vinci Construction France, Spie Foundations and Botte Foundations
Award value: €926 million

Package 4 (February 2017):
Scope: A 6.6km x 8.7m diamter tunnel and a 1.1km x 6.7m diameter tunnel from Villejuif Louis-Aragon to Créteil I’Échat station including four stations and a launch shaft for two TBMs.
Contractor: A consortium comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics (leader), Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Tunnels, Bessac and Sade.
Award value: A €807 million

Package 3 (September 2016):
Scope: A 4.7km-long bored tunnel between Noisy-Champs and Bry-Villiers-Champigny stations plus construction of two TBM access shafts and a 2.2km-long maintenance tunnel.
Contractor: A JV comprising Demathieu Bard Construction (leader), NGE Civil Engineering, GTS, Guintoli, Impresa Pizzarotti, Implénia, Franki Foundations Belgium and Atlas Foundations.
Award value: A €363 million

Package 2 (September 2016):
Scope: Construction of the rear of Noisy-Champs Station including a crossover tunnel section to allow trains to reverse at the end of Line 15 South and construction of a TBM access shaft for Line 16.
Contractor: A consortium of Léon Grosse Travaux Publics (leader), Parenge and Dacquin.
Award value: €51 million Awarded to

Package 1 (March 2016):
Scope: The Issy-Vanves-Clamart Fort Station Contractor: A consortium comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics (leader), Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Pieux and Soletanche Bachy Tunnels.
Award value: €66 million.