The refurbished TBM that will excavate 7km of tunnel for Lot 2 of Line 15 West of the Grand Paris Express is ready to start work.
The TBM, refurbished by WEM (Webuild Equipment & Machinery), will be deployed by NGE and Webuild to build the tunnel linking the Bécon-les-Bruyères station to the Saint-Denis–Pleyel hub.
The two partners previously used the TBM on Line 16, Lot 2 in the French capital.
The machine is more than 100m long and has a cutting diameter of 9.86m. The project includes the installation of approximately 23,000 segments, 79% of which will be made of fibre-reinforced concrete, and the excavation of around 500,000m3 of excavated materials, 80% of which will be reused.
Excavated materials will be transported by river to disposal and reuse sites, avoiding the equivalent of 64,000 lorry movements on local roads. Webuild says the use of fibre-reinforced concrete segments halves the amount of steel required, and enhances strength and long-term durability.
The tunnel will be constructed in two parts. The first section of 1.2 km will be built between the Les Caboeufs service tunnel at Gennevilliers and the Finot service tunnel at Saint-Ouen, while the second, 5.8km section will restart from the Les Caboeufs and head to Courbevoie, where the TBM will end its drive at the Parc des Bruyères service tunnel.
The Grand Paris Express, delivered on behalf of Société des Grands Projets, is Europe’s largest transport and urban development programme. Lot 2, known as “M2 West”, forms part of the future Line 15, which will be the longest metro line in France. Line 15 will serve 45 municipalities across four administrative districts in the Paris region. Ninety-five per cent of its stations will be connected to the existing transport network, including commuter rail, regional express services, metro lines, trams and buses.
Line 15 Lot 2 is the third collaboration for NGE and Webuild on the Grand Paris Express. They have already delivered the southern extension of Metro Line 14 to Orly Airport (4.1km of tunnel) and Line 16, Lot 2 (11km).
