CFL, Luxembourg’s National Railway Company, is currently carrying out extensive track renewal work on the line between Bettembourg and Scheierbesch, with around 15 kilometres of rails being replaced after reaching the end of their 25-year lifespan.
The scale of the operation calls for specialist equipment. A machine stretching 510 metres in length and weighing 1,500 tonnes has been brought in to carry out the work. CFL project manager Gilles Kayser walked us through the process: the fixings holding the rails in place are first loosened before the rail is lifted clear, after which the sleeper fixings are released, the track is raised and each sleeper removed one by one. New sleepers are then laid and secured, and the new rail threaded into place.
In total, 13,000 wooden sleepers, each weighing 110 kilograms, are being replaced. The work is being carried out around the clock in a three-shift system, with 110 workers from a specialist French company on site in Noertzange. Kayser noted that this kind of project requires planning well in advance, with such a line closure needing to be requested up to three years ahead of time. The bulk of the most intensive work takes place between 6am and 2pm.
The works are due to run until the end of the Easter holidays. The line is closed for the duration, with a replacement bus service put in place by CFL.
