This summer, line 6 is cut for a third phase of work.
A replacement bus has been set up between the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe and Trocadéro stations until August 27.
The tracks were removed for nearly 2 km.
The waterproofing of structures, the renovation of masonry and metal parts are undertaken in particular.
A building site in levitation. At more than five meters in height, on the airways of line 6, nearly 200 welders, masons and metalworkers are working day and night to revive the shine. The objective of the summer work on the Paris metro is to modernize the viaduct in the western sector of the line. 118 years old, this parcel of aerial bridge links the 15th and 16th arrondissements of Paris in particular. The noise is a first clue: the crackling of welding gives way to the clicking of riveters, a few hundred meters away the whirring of sandblasters are hidden behind white canvases.
The RATP thus hopes to adapt to the new, wider trainsets, the 2.6 km of double track connecting the 13 stations located between Pasteur and Passy.
The cost of this work is estimated at nearly 44 million euros.
The last stage of a project spread over three summers (2014, 2019 and 2021), the renovation of the viaduct includes the replacement of the waterproofing coating in order to prevent any infiltration.
Small hands and big machines take turns in three areas
“Everything is optimized by the minute,” explains Joël Pierre, Civil Engineering studies manager, assigned to site preparation. “To position a one-tonne crane, we had to cut down trees to transport the material. "The price to pay for this 24-hour worksite. Because the main enemy of RATP, its partner Ile-de-France Mobilités and subcontracting companies, is time. In every sense of the term. For Jean-Louis Houpert, logistics director of the RATP group, it is a real "race against the clock" to strengthen a line where traffic "is only increasing". Begun on June 26, the work is doomed to stop on August 28 “in the morning” for recirculation.
The other enemy is the weather.
"We much prefer heat to heavy rains, which impact the welds and the installation of electrical wiring," explains Jean-Marie Cauet, responsible for carrying out the work.
On the ground, small hands and big machines take turns in three areas, depending on the skills.
After the ballast was removed, the tracks were removed in order to waterproof the structures, alongside the masonry and metal parts, when it is not the anti-corrosion paint, with a lifespan of 18 years, must be renovated. which is to be redone.
Work that "speaks to each other"
To deal with this sudden stop of services, a substitute bus has been set up between the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe and Trocadéro stations. As for noise pollution, the transport company supports it: noisy work is restricted to daylight hours, from 8 am to 7 pm, with an interruption at noon. The only exception is the “Passy sector”, near the Bir-Hakeim bridge, whose immediate proximity to residents' windows leads to an extension of the break time.
But renovating the section of line 6 is far from being RATP's only challenge.
“Our work speaks to each other,” explains Jean-Louis Houpert.
During the summer, when traffic is less dense, other Parisian metro lines (4.11 and 14) are undergoing an express renovation.
Like the RER A, as well as the tram lines (T1, T2 and T3b).
"These are impactful traffic interruptions" acknowledges the director of RATP Infrastructures.
A necessary evil in the case of line 6, to strengthen this steel giant subjected to frost and bad weather for more than 110 years.
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Construction site