FRANCE — The first tunnel boring machine or TBM to be used for the Grand Paris Express has arrived.<br /><br />The Grand Paris Express project was announced in 2007 and is aimed at developing Greater Paris into a green metropolitan area.<br /><br />The machine will be more than 100 meters long and 10 meters in diameter and will be assembled onsite at Champigny Plateau, according to The Construction Index.<br /><br />Once assembled, the TBM will be able to drill at a depth of 55 feet below the surface at a rate of 10 to 12 meters a day, according to Railway Technology.<br /><br />It will be used to drill a 2.2 kilometer long connecting tunnel between the Champigny operating center and the main tunnel from Line 15 South at Villiers-sur-Marne.<br /><br />The Grand Paris Express plans to build new lines and open to the public in stages starting from 2022, in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.<br /><br />The express is expected to carry two million passengers a day and run automated trains every 2 to 3 minutes once it opens.
