A second refurbished TBM is ready to begin work on Lot 2 of the Grand Paris Express Line 15 West.
TBM Roberta, which will excavate approximately 7km of tunnel as part of Lot 2 of Line 15 West, previously completed a 5.8km drive for Lot 2 of Line 16 in Paris.
Following the Line 16 project, rather than being decommissioned, the TBM was transferred to Webuild’s refurbishment facility in Terni, Italy where it was overhauled and adapted to meet the geological and operational conditions of this new section of the project.
A Webuild and NGE joint venture is delivering the project on behalf of Société des Grands Projets.
Webuild says reusing the TBM, which is more than 100m long, has an excavation diameter of 9.86m and weighs nearly 2,000 tonnes, illustrates an industrial model based on circular economy principles.
A similar approach is being applied to the tunnel spoil. The tunnelling works on Line 15 West Lot 2 will generate approximately 500,000m3 of excavated material, nearly 80% of which will be recovered and reused. The materials will be transported via the Paris region’s inland waterway network, avoiding the equivalent of approximately 64,000 lorry journeys.
Sustainability has also been a consideration for the tunnel lining. Approximately 23,000 precast segments will be produced as part of the project, around 79% of which will be made using fibre-reinforced concrete. This reduces the amount of steel required while maintaining high levels of safety, strength and durability.
TBM Roberta was officially named during a ceremony in Gennevilliers, in the Paris region, yesterday.
The TBM was named in honour of Roberta Arrigoni, an architect at Webuild who has spent 37 years working on the design and delivery of complex infrastructure projects. She joined the Webuild Group more than 10 years ago and has been involved in the Grand Paris Express since its launch. Today, she plays a leading role in the delivery of Lot 2 of Line 15 West.
In August, the reburbished Herrenknecht TBM Houda arrived in Paris for Line 15 West Lot 2. The machine had previously been deployed on Line 16.
NGE and Webuild have delivered several sections of the Grand Paris Express, including the southern extension of Line 14 to Orly Airport, with 4.1km of tunnels, and Lot 2 of Line 16, involving the excavation of approximately 11km of tunnels.
