The Société des grands projets has allocated the construction contract for the first section of line 18 of the Grand Paris Express, which will connect Orly airport to Palaiseau, to a consortium of companies controlled by VINCI Construction Grands Projets. The contract relates to the digging of 11.8 km of tunnels, the construction of three stations, 13 ancillary structures along with 850 linear metres of open and covered trenches. This first section will come into service in 2026 and 2027.
35 km in length, line 18 will connect Orly Airport station to Versailles and serve 10 stations. Its numerous connections will make travelling easier for the residents of Essonne and Yvelines. It will serve the Paris-Saclay cluster and bring together the major economic hubs of Orly, Antony, Massy, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Versailles.
Digging the 11.8 km section will be carried out with two types of tunnel boring machine due to the different geological constraints: an earth pressure TBM and a variable density TBM. To line the walls, 5,930 rings weighing 52.78 T will be used.
The Maréchal Leclerc shafts, a major structure (2 circular shafts of 27. 60 m diameter and 36 m depth) at the intersection of avenues Maréchal Leclerc and Maréchal Koenig at Massy, will constitute the entry point of the Orly-bound tunnel boring machine and the arrival point of the tunnel boring machine from Palaiseau. Like the set of 10 circular shafts (9 to 11 m in diameter, 20 to 45 m in depth) connected to the main tunnel by a cross passage, once finished it will provide service functions (rescue, ventilation, smoke extraction, etc.).
A covered trench (200 m) and open trench (600 m) will provide the transition between the underground section of line 18 and its overground section.
For the three underground stations, Antonypole, Massy Opéra and Massy Palaiseau, diaphragm walls will be built, the excavation will be carried out underground and two layers of waling beams will support the walls.
The project will employ up to 700 people at periods of peak activity (500 labourers and 200 supervisory personnel).
The equivalent of 35 full-time posts will be created through the training of unemployed people during the 48 months of peak working. The Vinci group has also put in place a “Works and regions solidarity” endowment fund to support associated job creation projects and the social link with local communities affected by work carried out on the Grand Paris Express.
Client:
Société des grands projets
Execution date:
from may 2020 to april 2027
Tunnel :
11,8 km
Works :
3 stations
13 ancillary structures
Materials excavated :
More than one million m3
