Tunnel work worth US$3.55bn awarded for Lyon-Turin line

The three consortia and the contracts awarded are:

Lot 1(value €1.47bn / US$1.74bn): awarded to the consortium led by Eiffage Genie Civil and including Spie Batignolles, Ghella and Cogeis for 22km of tunnel between the existing Villarodin-Bourget/Modane tunnel and Italy. The tunnels will be excavated in around 72 months using two main methods: towards Turin using two TBMs; and towards Lyon using traditional methods (hydraulic breakers and/or explosives). The work will include connecting tunnels every 333m and niches. 

Lot 2 (value €1.43bn / US$1.69bn): awarded to the consortium led by Vinci Construction Grands Projets and including Dodin Campenon Bernard, Vinci Construction France TP Lyon, and WeBuild for the package of work to create 23km of tunnel between Saint-Martin-la-Porte/La Praz and Modane. Three TBMs will be used to excavate around 25km while the remaining 21km in more complex geology will be excavated using traditional methods, including hydraulic breakers and explosives. The work is expected to take 65 months.

Lot 3 (value €228m / US$270m): awarded to the consortium headed by Implenia and including NGE, Itinera and Rizzani De Eccher for the 3km section of tunnel between the French entrance portal at Saint-Julien-Montdenis and Saint-Martin-La-Porte. This section will be excavated using traditional methods (hydraulic breakers and/or explosives).

At 57.5km long in two separate tubes, the railway tunnel under the Alps between France and Italy will be one of the longest in the world with a total of 115km of tunnels forming part of the Lyon-Turin railway. This represents the primary section of the Mediterranean Corridor – the TEN-T European rail network axis linking the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe. When completed, speeds across the Alps will increase to 220km/hr for passengers and 120km/hr for freight. As a result, over one million trucks will be taken off Alpine roads.