On December 4, two large-diameter earth pressure balance TBMs which are developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd.(CREEG) under CRHIC and exported toFrancerolled off the production line in Henan Province, symbolizing that Chinese TBM has entered into the world’s top-end market. This has effectively enhanced the brand value and the international visibility ofChina's high-end equipment manufacturing.

The earth pressure balance TBMs debuting inFrancehas a diameter of 9.86 meters and a total length of about 115 meters. They will be used in the tunnel construction of the Grand Paris Express L16 Lot 2. The tunnel has a total length of 11.1km, the minimum turning radius of 600m, a buried depth of 8-52m, and the maximum water pressure of about 5MPa.

The Grand Paris Express L16 is an important link to the automatic super metro network in the suburbs of Paris, which is operated by Grand Paris Express Company. It is also part of the Metropolis of Greater Paris development plan and is expected to be officially opened in 2023.