Spanish contractor Ferrovial has entered into a consortium with two French companies, Spie Batignolles Génie Civil and Spie Batignolles Valérian, to carry out a €438m contract to build a section of Metro Line 18 in Paris.
The team will build three stations and eight items of infrastructure across a 6.7km route between Saint-Quentin Est and Versailles-Chantiers stations in the west of the city.
Tunnels will be excavated with a tunnel boring machine to overcome the difficulties posed by the Fontainebleau sands, with large targets set for the recovery and reuse of excavated material.
Work on the project is due to take nine years to complete and will create 350 jobs, with at least 10% of work hours allocated to the unemployed.
Benoît Moncade, Spie Batignolles Génie Civil’s general manager, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen for this project, our largest contribution to the Grand Paris Express initiative to date, as it further strengthens our sizeable presence at the heart of this major project.
“It is also a tribute to the know-how and technical expertise of our teams, who have been working on the metro for the past six years.”
Ignacio Gastón, Ferrovial Construction’s chief executive, added: “Participating in the Grand Paris Express megaproject evidences our extensive international experience in the design and construction of this type of urban infrastructure. Some of our most iconic projects can be found in such cities as London, Sydney and Madrid."
The contract is part of the Grand Paris Express, Europe’s largest infrastructure development, which will add 68 stations and 200km of track to the Paris underground.
