Macron Balks at Price-Tag for Paris's Grand Transport Plan
- France says it will make decision on ‘Grand Paris’ next week
- Decision has been postponed many times amid budget strains
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A massive extension of the Paris metro system that would see miles of tunnels dug around the French capital is becoming one of President Emmanuel Macron’s biggest headaches.
The 38.5 billion-euro ($47 billion) infrastructure project, dubbed ‘Grand Paris,’ will involve building 124 miles (200 kilometers) of track and 68 stations but it’s being delayed because the government can’t decide which of the lines should be sacrificed in the first wave as cost projections mount. Each is linked to one of the president’s pet projects -- sites for the 2024 Olympic Games, a research center for artificial intelligence, Chinese investments or the unemployment-ridden suburbs.