At a time when all the lines of the Grand Paris Express are
undergoing major development, with civil engineering work
taking place in some areas and preparatory work and land
acquisitions in others, the Supervisory Board is right in the
thick of things. It ensures that the programme manager is
complying with the major objectives set by Parliament in
2010 and that the project is progressing in line with the
overall plan designed at that time. This is one of the key
points to emphasise: the Grand Paris Express was conceived
just over ten years ago and, even then, its founders, led by
the government and the region, recognised the major
challenges we would have to face. This includes the
saturation and congestion of the public transport network,
the distance separating much of the Île-de-France s working
population from employment hubs and training
opportunities in the Paris metropolitan area, the sharp
increase in journey times, the land degradation caused by
urban sprawl, the increasing frequency of pollution peaks
that have a direct impact on people s health, and so on.
The Covid-19 crisis revealed in stark terms the problems
affecting our urban area and the inequalities that run
through it. Of course, Covid-19 struck the population
indiscriminately. The harsh reality of the sub-optimal
Foreword by Olivier Klein, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
housing conditions suffered by so many residents and the
scarcity of green spaces and so-called essential shops and
services in some areas were brought to light. The crisis
highlighted the long journey-to-work times that frontline
workers, carers, police officers, teachers, delivery drivers and
others had to endure. It also showed that our lifestyles could
adapt, that the way we work was not set in stone, and that
cycling, or walking should be given fresh consideration.
Today, another crisis has become equally concerning: high
energy prices are putting a strain on spending power, with
the trend set to continue. In the Grand Paris Express station
districts, more than two thirds of homes were built before
the first housing energy standards were introduced. It is
here, close to Grand Paris Express stations, that a crucial
battle is being waged: the urgent need to build a low-carbon
city that can strike the right balance between mixed-use and
sustainable development and between social and
environmental emergency. The French Prime Minister s
announcement of a government package bringing together
all public stakeholders involved in this urban and housing
challenge provides a clear response to the local elected
officials who work closely with local residents every day.
This package is not unlike the huge impetus behind the
Grand Paris Express: the government is taking action and
mobilising all its resources, but nothing can be achieved
without ongoing dialogue with local stakeholders. This is
undoubtedly why this major infrastructure and development
project is one that brings people together. This is a project
that binds people together and enjoys the strong support
of local residents, including those who are directly affected
by the work, Residents understand how vital it is to build
this transport network to improve the quality of life in our
city and our region.
This spirit of ongoing dialogue is what made 2021 a year in
which ever closer ties were forged between Société du
Grand Paris and the Supervisory Board, where
representatives of elected officials and government agencies
sit side by side. The adjustments to the commissioning
schedule are by no means insignificant and needed to be
shared, as does the urban vision that is now taking shape
and the environmental goals that have been revised
upwards since work started. At the end of this particularly
busy year, the Supervisory Board would like to show its
support for all those involved in the success of the Grand
Paris Express, who are working together to ensure that this
project is completed within the planned deadlines and costs.
They include Société du Grand Paris employees, the site
workers, the environmental scientists who study biodiversity
and help protect its richness during the works, the local
elected officials, the fire service and all the professionals
helping to keep our worksites safe. They include the teams
from Alstom, which has many sites involved in building the
trains for Lines 15, 16, 17 and 18, the architects and artists
who are designing the stations of tomorrow, the haulage
and recycling operators taking away and reusing our spoil,
the structures of the social economy, and the investors who
are using this technical, industrial and human endeavour as
a showcase for green finance around the world. They are all
links in the same chain, the architects of an epic journey that
will reshape an entire urban area and transform the daily
lives of the millions of people who live there.
Message from the Supervisory Board