The Olympic Games are entering their final days and French rail infrastructure manager SNCF is preparing to resume summer operations the day after the closing ceremony.
SNCF Réseau (Network) says it is working on 14 projects in Hautes-de-France, the country’s northernmost region.
“SNCF Réseau is committed to 14 restructuring projects on the Hauts-de-France rail network this summer of 2024. In terms of tracks and power supply, for passengers and freight, we are accelerating the regeneration of the network to improve its performance,” said Marie-Céline Masson, regional director for Hauts-de-France, SNCF Réseau.
From 12 August, several ‘factory trains’ will be in operation in the region, which will replace 1 km of track and overhead line arms every day at a rate of 1 every 11 minutes, according to the SNCF.
Several sections of track are being replaced, including switches at certain locations. Major works include:
Paris-Strasbourg passenger line
20 km of new track will be laid between Château-Thierry and Dormans. The team of 500 men will work with two factory trains: one to replace the rails and sleepers, and a second to replace the ballast. They will drive with 2 km between the trains to avoid accidents.
This project will cost the SNCF almost 40 million dollars (36.7 million euros).
Freight line Ormoy-Villers
Half of the 60 km route will be replaced between Ormoy-Villers and Verberie.
Although fewer engineers are needed than for the work on the Paris line (with a team of 250 men), the cost of the work on the Ormoy-Villers is estimated at €66 million ($72 million).
Lille-Hirson line
Instead of the tracks and sleepers, the overhead wire arms on this line need to be replaced. 7 million euros are being spent on this work, replacing 1,200 overhead wire arms on 35 km of the line between Hirson and Sains-du-Nord.
Switches
In addition to renewing the line, SNCF Réseau is replacing 10 switches at a freight depot in Le Verberie, a commune 70 km north of Paris.
It also replaces a single switch and two kilometres of track at Longueil-Sainte-Marie, on a key line from Creil, a suburb of Paris, to Jeumont on the Belgian border.
The job, which involves 100 people, will cost just over $7 million (€7.3 million) and will require an entire weekend without trains on the affected section of the line.
“14 summer projects accelerate SNCF’s work in Northern France” was originally created and published by Railway technologya brand of GlobalData.
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