The Grand Paris Express continues to move forward with the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) designated to excavate the 7 km of tunnel for Line 15 West, Lot 2 which has successfully passed factory acceptance and is now ready for deployment. This project — part of one of Europe’s largest transport infrastructure programmes — is being delivered by NGE and Webuild under a €1.38 billion design-and-build contract awarded by the Société des grands projets.
The refurbished TBM — over 100 m long with a cutting diameter of nearly 10 m — will bore the twin running tunnels between the future Bécon-les-Bruyères station and the new Saint-Denis–Pleyel hub in the Île-de-France region. Approximately 23,000 precast concrete segments will be installed to line the tunnel, with around 79 % of them made from fibre-reinforced concrete for enhanced durability and reduced material use. Around 500,000 m³ of excavated material will be removed, and approximately 80 % of this will be reused. Transporting spoil primarily by river will cut the equivalent of 64,000 truck movements on local roads, reducing congestion and emissions.
This marks the third collaboration between NGE and Webuild on the Grand Paris Express, following their delivery of the southern extension of Metro Line 14 to Orly Airport and Line 16, Lot 2. Refurbishing and repurposing the same TBM for this new contract reflects a sustainable approach that lowers the project’s carbon footprint while maximising equipment lifecycle and operational efficiency.
Beyond Lot 2, the Grand Paris Express is a transformative rapid transit programme reshaping mobility across the greater Paris region. The project will add around 200 km of new metro lines and 68 new stations, with lines 15, 16, 17 and 18 extending rail links deep into the city’s suburbs and improving accessibility and connectivity for millions of daily passengers.
For further information please visit the tunnelbuilder archive fr/127 and also click here and visit the Official Grand Paris Express site — which has full project details, maps and updates: https://www.grandparisexpress.fr/ 07/26.
