First major step for ground-breaking project

On 14 September, French teams from Tractebel were proud to attend the official launch of the first tunnel boring machine for Line 16. Tractebel is prime contractor alongside Egis on the line’s first piece of civil engineering works. Located at Aulnay-sous-Bois, the Braque pit is the starting point for the 3.3km that will be dug to reach Blanc-Mesnil by the borer dubbed “Armelle.”

By giving the borer a woman’s name, the Grand Paris company is respecting the tradition of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners.

“Well done to all the prime contractor team from TRACTEBEL-EGIS who managed to respect the schedule to complete the first adjoining civil engineering works, the launching pit at Aulnay-sous-Bois, allowing the first tunnelling for Line 16 to proceed within the time constraints.” Radouane Akki, Senior Works Engineer.

Watch the launch of “Armelle” (with kind permission from Société du Grand Paris Express): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhKWqnSNN8A

Overview of this gigantic project

For the Grand Paris Express, 2019 stands out by the massive development in activities at every scale.

The pace of works on Line 15 South, already underway for the last 3 years, will intensify in coming months with a multiplication of civil engineering worksites, notably on Line 16.

Line 16 will serve 10 stations over 25km between St-Denis Pleyel and Noisy Champs and will be used by around 200,000 passengers a day.

It’s also a major stake for the 2024 Olympic Games as it will serve several key sites. The project is wide-ranging and on a tremendous scale involving many complex works.

Find out more about our urban infrastructure services (video in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7e_XJKnHU