On Thursday 19th April 2012 the ICE French Local Association welcomed Laurent Samama, Director for Paris Urban Transport Projects at Egis Rail, to Carr’s Bar, Paris, to present a lecture about the Grand Paris Express Project for which his company has been retained for design services. The event continued the recently established series of graduates and students lectures programmed to coincide with the monthly social evenings.
Laurent is a highly experienced civil engineer who has worked on many different projects throughout the world, all of which have shared a common link - tunnels. A project that will itself require a significant amount of tunnelling, the Grand Paris Express Project is an ambitious, far-sighted scheme that aims to improve transport connections between Parisian suburbs and promote economic development throughout the region.
The presentation began with a brief explanation of the history and current state of public transport in and around Paris, focusing particularly on the suburban rail network. Laurent explained the project background dating back to the Government’s initial consultation in 2007 about the future infrastructure for the French capital. Currently the Ile de France public transport network requires users to transit the city centre when travelling between suburbs. A need was perceived for radial development to relieve the over used existing express lines (RER) through the city and led to his explanation of the Grand Paris Express Project. This is a fusion of two schemes, one promoted by the State (Grand Paris) and the other promoted by the Region (Arc Express). He also referred to other options that had been considered and the reasons for the final choice following 60 public debates.
The Grand Paris Express Project broadly consists of two new express metro lines that will link Parisian suburbs circumferentially, provide a direct link between La Defense to the west and Charles de Gaulle airport to the north-east, and open up the plateau de Saclay to the south-west, plus an extension to the north and south of the existing line 14 which passes through the city centre. Laurent explained the public consultation process that has been used, the architectural vision proposed for the new stations (that of a community hub complete with shops and services and not simply a metro station), the construction techniques that will be employed (tunnel boring machines) and details of the new trains (the two new lines adopting metal wheels, line 14 continuing on rubber tyres). Tenders are now out for the civil, architectural and M&E works for the line 14 extension, the northern part of which is due to be completed in 2017. Design is underway for the two new perimeter lines, mainly in deep bored tunnel, which are programmed to open by 2025.
Covering the political, social and economic aspects of the project in as much detail as the civil engineering, the presentation offered a far greater insight into the project than can be found in the local press or on the internet. The audience had many questions that were as diverse in content as the presentation itself, and the full 90 minutes were used.
A total of 28 attended the event, including 9 graduates, anciens élèves of the ESTP, and members of the ICE, IMechE and IET. Following the tradition at the social evenings a number of the attendees dined in the restaurant afterwards, inviting Laurent to join them by way of thanks.
Martin Dixon, ICE Graduate Member in France