In Auvergne, a new GCF-Transalp construction site

Fast and environmentally friendly renovation with Suite Rapide.

Suite Rapide GCF-Transalp at work in the Allier Department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, on the renovation of the 750 000 Moret - Lyon-Perrache line. Some 26 kilometres of railway track are being worked on, between the stations of Bessay-sur-Allier and Saint-German-des-Fossés.

South of the just-completed construction site that renewed 58 kilometres of the same Line 750 000 between Montargis and Neuvy-sur-Loire, the new "rapid construction site" takes care of track 1 of a section that, in 2021, had already seen the high-performance means of GCF - Transalp Renouvellement at work for the renewal of track 2 in the section between Saint-German-des-Fossés and Moulins.

As then, the rail renovation operations will take place at night, Monday through Friday under rail traffic interruption on both the track affected by the work and the adjacent Track 2.
The "mobile factory" will screen and renew the ballast screed, replace the sleepers and, limited to some segments, also replace the current rails with new 50 kg type rails.

Severe safety measures are put in place to eliminate or, at least, mitigate the danger factors. Beginning with the electrical risk: the railway line, powered at 25000 V, is fully considered a "blue zone" as the catenaries are less than 5 metres from the running surface and, therefore, constitute a reason for constant attention not only for the high operating efficiency trainsets employed, but for the road-rail vehicles themselves, which, like the loaders, have been equipped with devices that limit their movements in height.

Particular, moreover, are the preventive measures taken in order to reduce the environmental impact of the works. In fact, the entire Moulins - Saint-Germain-des-Fossés railway axis runs along the Allier River - the main tributary of the Loire, by length: more than 400 km - which is a protected space punctually included in a Natura 2000 area, and the section being worked on is dotted with numerous "ZNIEFFs" (Zone Naturelle d'Intérêt Ecologique, Faunistique et Floristique).

To this end, to preserve the environment, all machines used, from locomotives to excavators, have been equipped with anti-pollution kits. In addition, in the vehicle shelter yards set up at the stations of Saincaize-Meauce (the main one, to the north, where the Matisa P95 renovation train and the C75-2C ballast cleaner are stored) and Gannat (the secondary yard, used for the maintenance of "minor" vehicles), anti-contaminant mats have been installed along the maintenance tracks of the construction machines so as to zero the impact of any accidental spillage of pollutants. Similarly, setups and safety operating procedures have been implemented for the collection, storage and disposal of waste materials from ballast screening work, recovery of old sleepers as well as the constituent elements of the old tracks: rails, joints, bolts, wrenches.

The renovation and rehabilitation work in the forecast will be completed in the first ten days of April. Finishing work will also be completed by the end of the same month. The maximum speed of the line (200 km/h) in the construction zone will be lowered to 160 km/h until June 10.