The Eole tunnel in Paris, which will connect the centre of the metropolis from Hausmann-Saint Lazare station to Nanterre over a distance of 8 km, has been completed and is now in the testing phase.
Teams of SNCF Réseau workers and the partners in the Projet Eole have recently been carrying out the following operations: opening a new tunnel, fitting the last tracks, energising the track and putting the rail signalling system into operation.
The first dynamic tests between Haussmann Saint-Lazare and Nanterre can now be carried out, enabling all the functionalities of the track and other components to be checked. Progressively, these tests will bring the rail infrastructure up to the mass transit requirements of the future RER E line, with a maximum speed of 120 km/hour and a capacity of over 650,000 passengers per day in commercial operation in the heart of the Paris metropolis.
In parallel, Projet Eole teams and their industrial partners are working on the development of the three future railway stations on the route of the new line, at Neuilly-Porte Maillot, La Défense-Grande Arche and Nanterre-La Folie.
The Eole tunnel in Paris cost EUR 3.8 billion
Recently, the joint venture of TSO, Eiffage Rail, TSO Caténaires and Sages Rail completed the installation of the railway equipment, this operation alone costing EUR 144 million. In figures, the Eole Tunnel railway systems are as follows: 28 km of track, of which 12 km on ballast and 16 km on concrete, part above ground and part in the tunnel, three new railway stations, 73 switches and crossings, 350 workers at the top of the site.
In total, the investment in the construction of this tunnel (excluding the related rolling stock) amounted to EUR 3.8 billion. There are eight partners in the project: the French State, Île-de-France Region, Société du Grand Paris, Paris City Council, Hauts-de-Seine Departmental Council, Yvelines Departmental Council, Île-de-France Mobilités and SNCF Réseau.
Through the Eole project, the RER e line will be extended next year to Nanterre and in 2026 to Mantes la Jolie.
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