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Another victory for the Grand Paris Express: the tunnel of line 14 is finished

2021-03-04T19:25:51.556Z


On Wednesday evening, the Allison tunnel boring machine arrived at Maison-Blanche station in the 13th arrondissement. The southern extension tunnel of line 14, between


6:24 p.m., Wednesday March 3.

The walls pierced by the Allison tunnel fell one by one with a huge crash.

The tunnel boring machine has completed the 4.8 km remaining to dig to reach the Maison-Blanche station, in the 13th district.

The tunnel which extends line 14 to Orly is finished.

RATP, delegated contracting authority for the project, is on time.

“This breakthrough marks the end of two years of work, rejoices Nicolas Garreau, director of the extension. We are on time and in line with the Olympic Games.

»Allison began her journey last July from the Jean-Prouvé well in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne).

He dug 24 hours a day, about 12 meters per day.

But the director admits: "Eighteen months

(Editor's note: the tunnel boring machine stopped for two months during the first containment)

to dig everything, it's a real technical feat!

"

The last pieces of the walls, covered by the ephemeral work of the artist Stoul, eventually give way. / LP / J.Va  

Over the 14 km that separate Orly from the Maison-Blanche metro station, Nicolas Garreau lists the “challenges” that Allison and the two other tunnel boring machines, Koumba and Claire, had to take up: to pass under the tracks of Orly, under the TGV lines, the A6 motorway, line 7 or the ring road.

"We also went through 1.6 km of quarries that had to be solidified beforehand at the Kremlin-Bicêtre", he continues.

It was even necessary to build a bridge 10 meters high to "allow the tunnel boring machine to cross the site of line 15 at the Gustave-Roussy station, in Villejuif".

In Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), Allison crossed a 10-meter-high bridge to pass over the future line 15. / Vinci construction  

"We are really very proud," said Jacques Baudrier, elected (PC) in Paris.

We've been working on it since 2008!

It's a great job for the RATP to have completed this tunnel on time.

In addition, this line will also unload the RER B south by 25%.

It's a big victory.

"

1 million passengers per day on line 14 in 2024

With this extension to Orly - and another to Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) to the north - both scheduled for the first half of 2024, line 14 will transport around 1 million passengers per day!

The equivalent of the RER B and not much less than the RER A (1.4 million).

In anticipation, new, longer trains (MP14) are arriving on the network.

And its frequency will not change: 85 seconds, or even 80 seconds.

It now remains to equip and develop the 14 km of tunnel and the seven new stations.

Track laying has already started between the maintenance site located in Morangis (Essonne) and Pont-de-Rungis station (Val-de-Marne).

The installation of the equipment necessary for the operation of the trains and for the reception of passengers (installation of the power supply system, signaling, automatic piloting and ventilation system, etc.) will start in the fall.

This extension could also be the only portion of the line ready for the Olympic Games.

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As for Allison, the 1400-tonne tunnel boring machine, it will not be rewarded for its efforts.

It is the law of its kind.

This enormous machine will be cut into small pieces and extracted piece by piece, outside the Maison-Blanche station.

An operation that will take nearly four months.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2021-03-04

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