Eiffage Génie Civil has received the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) designated for excavation of the Bobigny to Champigny Centre section of Line 15 East of the future Grand Paris Express project in France.
The equipment, supplied by German manufacturer Herrenknecht, marks the third TBM intended for the project.
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The machine is scheduled to arrive at the construction location in Bobigny in early 2026, following which teams will begin its assembly at the Normandie Niémen launch site.
Excavation work is set to start in early 2026, with plans for the TBM to drive southwards for more than 5km towards the Marcel Dassault ancillary structure, located just north of Rosny Bois-Perrier station.
For this particular contract, a total of four TBMs will be used, said the company.
Eiffage leads this phase of Line 15 East construction with support from partners Arcadis, Demathieu Bard, and Setec.
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By GlobalDataIn 2023, Eiffage Génie Civil was selected to lead a consortium that secured a €2.54bn ($2.94bn) design-and-build contract from Société du Grand Paris for the section between Bobigny-Pablo Picasso and the Champigny Centre stations.
The consortium also includes eight architecture companies, namely Architecturestudio, Ar.thème Associés, fbcc, the BIG-Silvio D’ASCIA Architecture consortium, LA/BA, VIGUIER, and Wilmotte & Associés.
The scope of work covers excavation of 17km of tunnels, construction of 15 related rail structures and two entrance structures, track-laying and path facilities, as well as installation of high- and low-voltage systems and electromechanical equipment within stations and tunnels.
Six new stations – Bobigny-Pablo Picasso, Pont de Bondy, Bondy, Rosny Bois-Perrier, Val de Fontenay, and Nogent Le Perreux – will be constructed by the consortium.
The project also involves development at the Champigny Centre station specific to Line 15 East, an operations centre at Rosny-sous-Bois, and property initiatives in Bondy and Le Perreux.
The consortium intends to limit environmental impact by using low-carbon concrete and fibre-reinforced concrete segments while proposing landscaping across 15 hectares of green space.
Social commitments include allocating 1,272,000 working hours to social employment efforts and dedicating 25% of project revenue to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Engineering teams from Eiffage Construction, Eiffage Énergie Systèmes. and Eiffage Rail will participate during the project phases.
Following a design phase lasting approximately 15 months, construction will proceed, with a planned handover in 2031.
Additionally, a partnership comprising Eiffage Génie Civil, SARPI (Veolia), and CEMEX was awarded an excavated material management contract valued at over €200m for Line 15 East by Société du Grand Paris.
The group will oversee an estimated 7.5 million tonnes of earth generated by the works over an 84-month renewable period.
This is the initial material management contract granted for Line 15 East.
The consortium aims to reuse up to 99% of material after classification through designated recovery channels and plans to transport 60% of excavated material by river transport to reduce emissions.
