A consortium of contractors led by French construction company Vinci has secured a contract for the recovery project of excavated materials at the Lyon-Turin construction site.

The Lyon-Turin is a new freight and passenger railway line, 70% of which is located in France (Lyon) and 30% in Italy (Turin).

Under the contract, the consortium will process 23 million tonnes of materials excavated on the French side of the Mont-Cenis base tunnel.

The Board of Directors of Tunnel Euralpin Lyon-Turin awarded this contract, which carries a value of approximately €800m.

The consortium includes a combination of VINCI and Vicat subsidiaries, which comprise Eurovia Alpes, Carrières du Bassin Rhônalpin, Terélian, SATM, Granulats Vicat, Spie Batignolles Valérian, Spie Batignolles Malet, and GIE GMM 73.

Works will see the use of a circular strategy that involves the reuse of more than 50% of on-site debris.

The large complex will comprise three permanent storage facilities, three material processing stations, eight logistics platforms, 15km conveyor belts, and a complete train loading facility.

Throughout the 120-month timeframe for the project, the consortium will offer 78,000 hours of labour and training for those currently on integration routes.

VINCI Construction is already working on the Lyon-Turin construction site, digging a 23km twin-tube tunnel between the Saint-Martin-de-la-Porte and Modane communes.

The company is now preparing the construction of the Avrieux shafts next to the future safety base at Modane.

It is also working on the La Maddalena niches on the Italian side of the Alps to develop lateral niches in order to broaden the tunnel and strengthen the vault for increased safety.