Renovation of an emblematic Paris station
 

Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France Industrie et Équipements Publics teams are involved in the renovation of the Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile RER A station.  The station was opened in 1970 and is the fifth busiest RER A station, with 1.3 million passengers per day. The contract won includes the redevelopment of the platforms and premises in one of the station's three sectors. The operation will last 32 months, with the aim of being completed for the 2024 Games. As the station is still in passenger operation, 90% of the work will be carried out during short nights, forcing the teams to work from 1.30 to 4.30 am. Supplies and evacuations are being carried out via the station's access hoppers (outside of passenger hours), via road access and via work trains (used to transport the steel structure).

The main work on the site is the metal fascia to be affixed to the platforms, with a total length of 450 m of lattice girders 1.20 m high and 0.5 m wide, clad in thermo-lacquered cassettes throughout. It is made by the IEP carpentry workshops located in Passel. The first supply took place during the night of 22 to 23 November 2022, with a total of 7 wagons of 18 beams of 1.5 tonnes each, unloaded between 2 and 4 am!
The entire Passel team was mobilised with 14 journeymen, 4 team leaders and 3 supervisors for the success of this operation, confirmed by the satisfaction of the RATP, the project owner.

By the end of March, a total of 5 work trains will have supplied the beams and platform cladding each month. The installation of these metal elements was only possible thanks to an innovation developed by the works teams, which was essential for keeping to the schedule (given the few nights when the catenary, the overhead electrical traction line, was consigned to service): each night, the installation of a curtain insulating the electrical risk enabled the teams to install the metal strip. The RATP has been won over by this innovation and is in the process of deploying it on other future operations!

Complex issues
 

The agility of the Industrie et Equipements Publics teams is highlighted for this redevelopment project at the Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile station of the RER A, with its many challenges:
- Control of the two key structures: fascias and seats;
- Organisational, linked to the restricted working hours due to the difficulty of access to the site;
- Planning, to keep the Games schedule;
- Commercial, because a success would undoubtedly facilitate discussions with the MOA, which should solicit the teams for the next renovations of the station.