The French capital’s emblematic metro network is getting an update. The Grand Paris Express, Europe's largest public transport initiative, is poised to redefine transportation for millions of Parisians, with over 400 Schindler units helping to make this vision a reality.
"Welcome to Schindler Plaza," says Project Manager Edouard Rayer with a smile, gesturing toward the many escalators ascending and descending from the concrete platform he is standing on, 30 meters underground.
Behind him, a handful of Schindler technicians are putting the final touches to 32 escalators that will soon service the Villejuif Gustave Roussy station, a crucial hub within the Grand Paris Express network.
Paris currently has a problem – all routes lead through its compact city center, which is only 105 square kilometers. Every day, six million residents from the 12,000 square kilometers Île-de-France region travel from east to west or north to south by car, due to a lack of viable transportation alternatives.
Enter the Grand Paris Express, a project designed to double the existing metro network to 400 kilometers, linking outer districts to the city center through circular metro lines, and creating airport connections – making it Europe’s largest subway project to date.
The Société du Grand Paris, commissioned to lead this project, is building seven stations, extending lines 11 and 14, and constructing four new, fully automatic metro lines – 15, 16, 17, and 18. The entire project is expected to conclude by 2031, bringing much shorter travel and commuting times for Parisians.
For many of our Schindler France employees, the Grand Paris Express contract is a project of a lifetime. No fewer than 240 Schindler 9300 escalators and 190 Schindler 5500 elevators will be installed, to be responsible for transporting three million people to and from the trains each day.
Overseeing this project of Herculean proportions is Schindler Construction Director Philippe Pellegrin. He’s feeling the pressure: "I’m very proud, but I do feel the weight of such great responsibility," he explains. But he quickly lights up when reflecting on the significance of the project to the French capital. "It represents a fundamental change in Greater Paris transportation. Our elevators and escalators are part of a more environmentally friendly transit solution for millions of passengers – we’re facilitating the switch from private cars to the metro."
Country Director Philippe Boué is equally upbeat about the project, although he is quick to outline the operational challenges that have come to define this monumental undertaking.
Case in point, the delivery of the first 20 escalators at the Villejuif Gustave Roussy metro station in May 2022 posed a significant logistical challenge – and provided a striking open-air spectacle to passers-by.
Measuring 40 meters in length and weighing 30 tons, each escalator was carefully hoisted by a crane and placed onto a conveyor belt, before being lowered into a 50-meter-deep shaft and a 30-meter-wide space. Our Schindler technicians swiftly completed their installation in a remarkable two-week period. By April 2023, an additional 12 escalators had been successfully installed.
For Edouard Rayer and many of his colleagues, the project will have a positive impact on their lives too, with significant reductions in travel time anticipated.
"My family and I live next to the Issyles-Moulineaux station, and one of my best friends is in Noisy-le-Grand," he explains. "At the moment, it takes me an hour and a half by car, but once the Grand Paris Express is complete, I’ll be able to meet up with him in just 15 minutes."