Italy’s Webuild and French partner NGE have celebrated the first breakthrough of tunnel-boring machine (TBM) Mireille at the future Clichy-Montfermeil station of metro line 16 under construction in northern Paris. The project is part of the Grand Paris Express, one of the most ambitious sustainable mobility projects in Europe.
After boring 2.2km from the Bel-Air site in Chelles at the southern end of Lot 2 – the section of the line under development by Webuild and NGE – Mireille arrived at the station to the applause of the mayors of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, representatives of the client, Société du Grand Paris.
Mireille will soon renew its journey for another 3.1km, crossing the municipalities of Livry-Gargan and Sevran to reach the Mare au Chanvre site at Sevran where it will meet Houda, the TBM that is excavating from the northern end of Lot 2.
As part of the Grand Paris Express, Webuild and NGE are developing 11km of tunnels for Line 16 along with four stations between Aulnay-sous-Bois and Chelles. Line 16 will serve the Paris department of Seine-Saint-Denis, transporting an estimated 200,000 passengers every day. The other three stations to dot the line include Aulnay, Sevran-Beaudottes and Sevran-Livry.
The Grand Paris Express will extend the French capital’s metro and light rail network by 200km with 68 stations to improve connections between the centre and the periphery. It is set to improve the local economy, create jobs, promote sustainable mobility and reduce vehicle traffic and air pollution.
Photo credit: Webuild
