The Grand Paris Express is the new metro system that will connect the main living and working areas in the suburbs without passing through Paris. This project, which is designed to improve connectivity in the Paris region and shorten journey times, is being managed by the Société des grands projets.
A part of this project includes the building of line 18, which will consist of 35 km of track and 10 new stations at the completion stage, connecting Versailles – Chantiers to Orly Airport via Massy–Palaiseau. Line 18 is expected to be faster than the current metro lines of the historical Paris metro network, with average speeds of 55 to 65 km/h, providing a swift mode of modern transport and 110,000 daily trips.
This major infrastructure project aims to improve mobility in the region, to enhance connectivity between major transit and academic centres and to support economic development.
Pandrol’s engineering team worked closely with Alstom, on behalf of the Société des grands projets, to ensure all the proposed solutions met the project’s rigorous testing standards and criteria. We also ensured alignment with strict deadlines to avoid any delays in the overall project timeline.
One of the main challenges on this project was minimising load and ensuring stability on the 6.7 km elevated viaduct section. This required careful consideration of long-term durability as well as demanding solutions that are lightweight on the track yet able to withstand the loads of the metro.
Excessive loads can increase stress on the supporting foundations, resulting in regular maintenance and wear of the viaduct and track. Therefore, Pandrol proposed a lightweight fastening solutions to reduce load on the structure and minimise environmental impact.
Consequently, Pandrol designed and supplied a composite baseplate version of the SD rail fastening system for the viaduct section: the SD-SEE (“Simple Etage Elastique” – single resilient system) rail fastening system.
