Eiffage wins massive 795-million-euro contract for new Paris metro line
The French construction company Eiffage was awarded the contract to construct the south-eastern portion of the new line 15, the public service operator overseeing the project announced Friday.
Issued on:
La Société du Grand Paris (SGP), the state-controlled entity charged with the conception and construction of the Grand Paris Express, announced that Eiffage had been awarded the 795-million-euro contract in a statement on Friday.
It is the sixth contract awarded for the construction of the Grand Paris Express, a new network of four suburban rapid transit lines to be built in the greater Paris region. The previous contract, which totalled a whopping 926 million euros, was given to French construction giant Vinci in February. In total, eight contracts are to be signed for the project, according to SGP.
Ground will be broken by the end of April to start building the south-eastern portion of underground line 15, according to Eiffage. This portion, which will connect the stations Créteil l’Echat and Bry-Villiers-Champigny, is expected to be finished by 2022.
Line 15 will pass exclusively through Paris’ suburbs in forming a large loop around the capital. It is planned to open in phases and be fully operational by 2030, when the totality of the Grand Paris Express is also expected to be finished.
SGP has estimated that some 200 kilometres of new rail tracks will be laid for the ambitious Grand Paris Express, which will also extend current metro lines 11 and 14. The latter is to connect to France’s second busiest airport Orly airport in the south, and to the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis in the north.
The public transport project aims to make direct travel between suburbs easier and faster. In bypassing Paris, the four Grand Paris Express lines will enable passengers to travel throughout the region without having to transfer in central Paris.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe