North Line: major modernisation completed
The work carried out in summer 2023 on the North line marked the end of a vast programme to renew and modernise the track over a large part of this line, which was used last year by 5.8 million CFL customers.
Over 78.6 km, the North Line (Luxembourg – Troisvierges – Gouvy) links the capital to the Nordstad and the northern region of the country, as far as the Belgian border. The modernisation of this line is one of the CFL Infrastructure Manager’s strategic priorities.
The year 2023 has seen the finalisation of some substantial operations: “the complete renewal of various sections of track with platform improvements with a view to the installation of concrete sleepers”, as specified in the law passed in 2012 to set the framework for work on three sections totalling 47 km: Lorentzweiler – Mersch (14.6 km combined in both directions), Cruchten – Ettelbruck/Burden (8.3 km in each direction) and Wilwerwiltz – Clervaux (15.8 km combined in both directions).
Dating from 1983 to 1988, the existing track installations have been successively renewed since 2013 (with the exception of a forced stoppage in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic), with priority given to the school holiday period and the use of specialised high-efficiency machines to minimise inconvenience for CFL customers.
Heavy machinery on duty
The work included the installation of concrete sleepers weighing more than 300 kg each (requiring less routine maintenance than wooden sleepers) and new rails, and the replacement of blast-furnace ballast with natural stone ballast to ensure that the positioning of the tracks (track geometry) is better maintained over time and to reduce the need and frequency of track maintenance operations.
The work and its final inspection were carried out with safety as CFL’s top priority for its customers, staff and subcontractors. Operationally, the challenge lay in handling and storing a large quantity of materials, including the sleepers, each 2.60 metres long and laid every 60 centimetres.
In 2023, the complete renewal of the tracks between Wilwerwiltz and Drauffelt (from 19 August to 10 September) marked the end of this project, which will enable CFL to use the sleepers for the next 40 years thanks to the extended lifespan of concrete compared with wood, while at the same time offering an upgrade to the condition of the railway line for the benefit of customers.
Finishing work (civil engineering) will be carried out over the next few months in connection with the tracks and cable channels located along the renewed tracks.
Work on the North Line in three figures : - 141,000 tonnes of natural stone ballast - 80,000 concrete sleepers - 94 km of new track