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READY AND SET FOR THE GRAND PARIS EXPRESS
VINCI Construction has been involved in Grand Paris Express projects for several years; in 2023, alongside VINCI Energies, it secured the first design-build contract for this huge project.
With 200 km of new metro lines forming a ring around the capital, and 68 stations, the Grand Paris Express is set to transform commuting habits in France’s most densely populated region. VINCI Construction has been active on this rapid transit programme, the largest development project now under way in Europe, since the 2010s. In 2023, it completed civil engineering work on lines 15 South (8 km of tunnels and five stations) and 14 South (4.6 km of tunnels, Kremlin-Bicêtre-Hôpital station, five shafts) and continued work on the underground and overhead sections of Line 18 (11.8 km of tunnels, 13 ancillary structures, 6.7 km of viaducts and three stations along the overhead section). The various projects in this programme involve its Major Projects teams as well as those of the Civil Engineering France, Networks France, Building France and Specialty Networks divisions.
In 2023 VINCI Construction was also awarded, jointly with VINCI Energies, the first design build contract issued by the Société des Grands Projets for the first section of Line 15 West, which will connect the Pont de Sèvres station to La Défense. Worth €2.71 billion, the all-trades contract covers turnkey construction of 14 km of tunnels, five stations, tail tracks and 16 service structures. The line is scheduled to open in 2030. Over 2,000 people will work on the project at peak of construction and 10% of hours worked will be allocated to people on work integration programmes. As part of the ambitious environmental pledge it has made to Société des Grands Projets, VINCI will mostly use low carbon and very low carbon concrete on this project.
The Group will also enlist its Chantiers et Territoires Solidaires endowment fund, which supports non-profit initiatives around access to employment and community building in the areas crossed by the Grand Paris Express.
"With its two monumental helices that meet at the top, the Noisy-Champs station, at the intersection of metro lines 15 and 16 and RER Line A, will no doubt become one of the landmarks of the Grand Paris Express. The consortium led by VINCI Construction, in association with Arbonis, a subsidiary that specialises in glue laminated timber, built the wood and steel dome that sits atop the multimodal hub. This project shows that achieving low carbon targets involves using mixed structures, the proper combination of components spread out between load bearing structures and the building envelope, and the right mix of materials used in their optimum performance range."