NGE and Webuild foster the circular economy on the Grand Paris Express: refurbished TBM arrives to bore Line 15 West tunnel

Refurbished in Italy and transported through a multimodal logistics chain spanning more than 2,200 kilometres, the TBM will help reduce the project’s environmental footprint.

Package 2 of Line 15 West is worth €1.38 billion and includes 7 km of tunnel and four new stations, with connections to the existing network.

NGE and Webuild celebrate the arrival in Gennevilliers (Paris region) of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will excavate the 7 kilometres of Package 2 on Grand Paris Express Line 15 West, between Saint-Ouen and Courbevoie. By refurbishing Houda, the TBM previously used on Line 16 in 2020 to excavate 5.8 kilometres of tunnel between Aulnay Val Francilia and Sevran-Livry stations in Seine-Saint-Denis, and by transporting its heaviest components from Italy using multimodal logistics, NGE and Webuild are applying circular-economy principles to major infrastructure in a tangible way. The operation shortens delivery times, cuts CO₂ emissions and reduces costs.

The 2,000-tonne, 10-metre-diameter TBM was fully refurbished by Webuild in Italy in plants dedicated to the refurbishment of TBMs and other excavation equipment. This comprehensive overhaul, combined with advanced monitoring and maintenance technologies, significantly extends the machine’s service life, optimises its performance and saves around 12 months compared with manufacturing a new TBM. This industrial approach combines operational efficiency, efficient use of resources and a lower environmental impact.

The TBM’s journey was planned to minimise its environmental footprint, notably through a multimodal logistics chain covering more than 2,200 kilometres to Gennevilliers. The 12 heaviest components, including the 170-tonne cutterhead, travelled from the port of Civitavecchia near Rome by road, sea and inland waterway.

The same approach will be applied during tunnel construction:

• 80% of the 500,000 m³ of excavated material will be removed by barge, avoiding around 64,000 lorry journeys on roads in the Paris region.
• Most of the material will be sent to recovery and reuse channels, further reducing the project’s environmental impact.
• The project’s carbon footprint will also be reduced through the use of precast fibre-reinforced concrete tunnel segments manufactured in the Paris region at a plant co-owned by NGE. This solution halves the amount of steel required compared with conventional methods.

Starting from the Les Cabœufs ancillary structure in Gennevilliers, the TBM will complete its work in two successive drives:

• a first 1.2-kilometre drive from Gennevilliers to Saint-Ouen;
• a second 5.8-kilometre drive from Gennevilliers to Courbevoie.

Delivered for Société des grands projets, Package 2 “M2 West” forms part of a major infrastructure program at the heart of one of Europe’s most strategic transport networks. Scheduled to enter service by 2031, Line 15 West will improve travel for millions of people across the Paris metropolitan area. By connecting Saint-Denis–Pleyel and La Défense in just 19 minutes, it will provide faster, simpler and more sustainable travel options.