Credit: CFL
Luxembourg's railways, the CFL, have unveiled details of the renewal works being carried out on rail line 10.
The CFL is constantly investing in the modernisation and extension of Luxembourg's rail network. After many efforts made in the past, 2021 marks the start of a particularly intense phase of work, of which the maintenance and the renewal of the railway infrastructure forms an integral part.
During the first week of the Easter holidays, the double-track section between Mecher and Drauffelt was completely renewed. For this purpose, rails, sleepers as well as the ballast load-bearing structure were replaced track-by-track over 3.6 kilometres. For this large-scale work, namely the replacement of 12,000 sleepers, 14.4 km of rails and 20,000 tonnes of ballast, the CFL used a veritable steel colossus, the "mechanized track renewal train", to simplify and accelerate associated work.
CFL took advantage of replacing wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers which have a higher life cycle. Added to this is the replacement of the slag ballast put in place during the 1980s by natural stones, which are more resistant to shocks emitted by rolling stock.
The work carried out is part of the project to renew the northern line, parts of which still date from the 1980s. In order to ensure the integrity of the infrastructure, renewal works have been carried out for several years - section by section. This safety critical work is traditionally carried outside peak periods to minimise the impact of the work on customers.
