The new mobile crane has already completed hoists of a tunnel boriing machine for the infrastructure project over the last few months. The crane is equipped in compact form with a 35m main boom and a derrick boom, packing sufficient power for these jobs on the growing underground railway construction sites in Paris.

This enormous project will not only extend the metro but will also involve other urban infrastructure being upgraded and extended. The extension of the public transport network alone will cost €35bn. The growth in residential property will double at a rate of 70,000 new apartments per annum.

This means that French crane and construction contractors will have plenty to do. "Like all crane contractors in the Paris area, we are expecting a healthy rate of orders over the next few years." This is the optimistic forecast made by Patrick Meublat, technical director for the crane business at Mediaco in Thieux, a branch office of the company in the north-east of the capital city. "The jobs for our Liebherr cranes around Paris over the next few years will be dominated by assembling and dismantling tunnel drilling machines and hoisting railway and road bridges."