VINCI to build the operation and maintenance centre for Line 18 of the Grand Paris Express in Palaiseau (south of Paris)

• Several technical facilities spanning 64,000 sq. metres in total
• A contract worth over €80 million

Société du Grand Paris has awarded Chantiers Modernes Construction (VINCI Construction) the contract to build the operation and rolling stock maintenance centre for the future Line 18 of the Grand Paris Express. The centre will be in Palaiseau, and the line will connect the rapidly expanding Paris-Saclay research and development hub to Orly Airport and the city of Versailles.

The facilities will be near École Polytechnique, an engineering school, and span about 64,000 square metres in total. They will include:

• an infrastructure maintenance base to service the line’s equipment (tracks, power distribution systems, etc.);
• a maintenance base and depot for the automatic metro line’s trains (45 to 60 metres long);
• a central control room to coordinate, supervise and regulate traffic;
• technical facilities such as the Tour en Fosse building, electrical utility rooms and security post.

The contract is worth €82 million and 20% of the total has been awarded to SMEs. It covers roadworks and utility networks, earthworks, the structure, the envelope, finishing work, technical installations and industrial equipment.

During this project, 10% of the hours worked will be set aside for people on social integration programmes. VINCI will also involve its endowment fund, Chantiers et Territoires Solidaires, which supports non-profits’ initiatives to create jobs and foster community life in the towns and cities surrounding Grand Paris Express projects.

This contract follows the one for the Line 14 maintenance base and depot in Morangis (also south of Paris), awarded in 2018. It thus confirms Chantiers Modernes Construction’s expertise in construction of functional installations and equipment for the Grand Paris programme. The VINCI Group is also involved in other works packages for the Grand Paris Express, where it is leveraging synergies among its subsidiaries and combining their expertise in underground works, urban development, rail works, information technologies, data and electrical engineering.