The new Grand Paris metro lines, together the Grand Paris Express, have created an infrastructure project of unprecedented magnitude: 200km of new track, of which 90 percent is under ground, with four new lines, one extension, 68 new stations, fully automated rolling stock, all for a 35 billion euro investment. It is the largest infrastructure and development project in Europe and the largest public transport project in Île-de-France since the construction of the RER.
The Grand Paris Express is the backbone of the transformation of Greater Paris. This network of lines, which will be interconnected and allow passengers to bypass unnecessary areas, will improve the lives of Parisians, delivering new mobility, reducing travel times and giving rise to new neighbourhoods.
The Grand Paris Express will connect major business centres and also link up under-served areas. A real lever of economic development, when the new metro becomes operational, it will generate 100 billion euros in additional GDP over time – or four billion euros per year for 25 years.
The intention behind the Grand Paris Express is not just to build an essential transport project to meet the need for travel, but also to deliver a new vision of land development. The Grand Paris Express is a mobility solution that will rebuild, redefine and intensify the city, while limiting urban sprawl.
Work has intensified on the entire Grand Paris Express project in recent months. It has achieved important milestones over the past year. Three tunnel-boring machines are already in operation and 65 construction sites are in place for stations and service structures. In 2019 around 15 machines will dig the tunnels for the new metro. By 2020 this number will rise to 20.