On April 7, “CREC 777” shield machine began operation in Paris, marking that the Section 2 project of Grand Paris Express Line 16 entered the shield construction phase. The shield machine was independently developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Co., Ltd.

Grand Paris Express Line 16, an important link of the automated super metro network covering Paris’ suburban areas, is part of the development plan of the Paris metropolis. The tunnel involved in the shield construction project is 11.1 kilometers long, with a burial depth of 8-52 meters and a maximum water pressure of about 3-5 bar. It traverses a variety of geological strata including granular gypsum layer, pulverized clay, gypsum marl layer, limestone layer, and sand layer. In light of the local geological situation, China Railway Engineering Equipment Group customized two 9.86-meter-diameter earth pressure balance shield machines — “CREC 777” and “CREC 778”. The two sets of equipment rolled off the production line on December 4, 2019 before being transported to the project site. (By Sun Kaidi)