Grand Paris Express

Technical data

Project description

Connecting the municipality of Le Bourget and the airport of the same name to the Paris metro network.

Construction of 2 metro tunnels with a length of 3.40 km and 2.60 km respectively
Inner diameter: 8.70 m
Outer diameter: 9.46 m
2 new metro stations "Le Bourget Aéroport" (underground) and "Triangle de Gonesse" (above ground)
742 m railway line
7 shafts (6 ventilation/access shafts and 1 intermediate launch shaft)

Construction method

TBM tunnelling with earth pressure shield
Shield diameter: 9.87 m, with segmental lining
Construction of the "Le Bourget Aéroport" metro station using diaphragm wall construction and "Triangle de Gonesse" using cut-and-cover construction: Construction of the railway line using the cut-and-cover method (530 m) and the cut-and-cover method (212 m)
Construction of the shafts using a VSM (vertical shaft sinking machine) or diaphragm wall construction method

Geology

Sables de Beauchamps (sands with possibly sandstone beds) as well as marl and gravel

General data

Project

Grand Paris Express, Line 17, Lot 1,
Bonneuil-en-France, France

Client

Société du Grand Paris

Contractor

Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG in joint venture

Construction period

2019 to 2023

Net construction sum

439 million €

Utilisation
Infrastructure
Type
metro tunnel
Length
6.000 m
Type of construction
TBM tunnelling with earth pressure shield (EPB)

the largest infrastructure and development project in Europe

The future Grand Paris Metro, the Grand Paris Express, is the largest infrastructure and development project in Europe. The 200-kilometre-long project involves the construction of four new railway lines and 68 stations in the Paris region. Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau, Tunnelling Division, was awarded the contract for the construction of Metro Line 17 as part of a joint venture.

The contract with a net value of €439.4 million includes

civil engineering works for the Le Bourget Airport and Triangle de Gonesse stations;
a tunnel to be excavated by machine with a total length of around 6 kilometres;
the construction of a partly covered and partly open railway line;
civil engineering works at seven other project sites.

The aim is to put this line from the capital to Le Bourget airport into operation from 2024, in time for the Olympic Games, and from 2027 to the Triangle de Gonesse station. Travellers will then have significantly faster connections: The journey time from Charles de Gaulle Airport to La Défense Airport will be reduced to 35 minutes. The current journey time is around one hour. The connection between Le Bourget Airport and La Courneuve Six Routes will be reduced from 35 to five minutes. The project will significantly improve the transport network in the greater Paris area.