A joint venture made up of Vinci Construction and Spie Batignolles has won a major contract on the Paris metro.
The Société du Grand Paris selected the two companies to build the Grand Paris Express, which will be a section of Line 15 between Fort d’Issy-Vanves-Clamart and Villejuif Louis Aragon.
The contract is worth €926m before tax.
An 8km-long tunnel will be constructed using two 10m-diameter earth-pressure-balanced boring machines.
Five new stations will be added to the line:
- Châtillon Montrouge
- Bagneux
- Arcueil-Cachan
- Villejuif Institut Gustave Roussy
- Villejuif Louis Aragon.
Vinci says at its peak the project will employ nearly 900 people and steps will be taken to "train and induct the long-term unemployed".
Xavier Huillard, chief executive of Vinci, said: "The Grand Paris Express project is strategically important for the economic development of the greater Paris area. It will create jobs, open up regions and release energies.
"The group will bring its expertise to this ambitious undertaking over the next 20 years. The project is a huge technical and also a human challenge."
The project is due to be completed in 2022.
Image: A map of the project courtesy of Vinci
