Uniting Paris with Île-de-France with 200 kilometres of new metro lines to link every corner of the city and region and their 12 million residents who are responsible for 30% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France. That is the objective of the Grand Paris Express, a project so ambitious that only a few others in the world can match it in scale. Indeed, its construction foresees an investment of €24.7 billion, a total that reaches €28.1 billion when related works are taken into account. Subsequent property development by private investors in the outlying areas to be covered by the project could bring the total to up to €40 billion. It is funded mainly by public entities, such as the French investment group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the city and regional governments, as well as the European Investment Bank (EIB) with a €1 billion commitment.

Read more...