Modernisation of one of the beam heads at Kinkempois in Belgium
Teams from ETF Luxembourg spent a month modernising one of the beamheads in grill F at the Kinkempois workshops on line 36A in Belgium.
This beam is used daily by Infrabel (infrastructure manager for the Belgian rail network) for freight and passenger traffic. The SNCB (passenger transport manager on the Belgian network) also uses it for cleaning and emptying its passenger trains.
The main objective of this project was to replace the traditional wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers, which are more robust, durable and adapted to today’s rail traffic requirements.
The project includes:
- Panel removal and installation of 12 turnouts
- Earthworks and stonework for a 2,000 m² platform;
- Installation of the TJD using specialized equipment (PEM LEM);
- Tamping of the new installations and 250 meters of adaptation track;
- Over 80 aluminothermic welds.
Upstream of the work, a slope has been moved to allow the storage of new ballast near the site. This logistics decision has significantly reduced the round trips of trucks, thus reducing the environmental impact of the construction site and contributing to a more efficient management of resources.
The success of this project is based on the coordination and expertise of our teams in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as the support of the agency Travaux Mécanisés France, which has deployed specialized equipment (PEM LEM and Bourreuse), thus ensuring a rapid and accurate execution of the work.
This modernisation illustrates ETF’s commitment to supporting network operators in their future projects, in the service of more efficient and sustainable rail mobility.
