In the Grand Est of France with GCF

Ongoing renewal for French railways

Double French worksite in the summer months for GCF France – Transalp Renouvellement, for the "Hors Suite" renewal of railway lines in the Grand Est region.

The first worksite, in the Bas-Rhin department near Strasbourg, is handling the complete replacement of several track sections along line 110 000 between the railway stations of Molsheim (Grand Est region, Bas-Rhin department) and Saales, in Haute-Savoie (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region).

Some of GCF’s flagship machinery are involved: the Matisa P95 renewal train – leading a convoy of flat wagons, hopper wagons, and locomotives totaling 639 meters – and the Matisa C5 ballast cleaner with its 600-meter convoy, along with “minor” machines like stabilizers and profilers.

Three operational areas organize the site, which plans the complete replacement (ballast and track) of 2,223 linear meters of line, 106 linear meters of track replacement with the same traditional type of track, and 238 linear meters of rail-only replacement. The renewal operation will also include the renovation of three level crossings in the villages of Mutzig, Russ-Hersbach, and Daulxures. In Cronembourg is the base site for the renewal train's storage, while in Schirmeck – about halfway between the two main stations of the line under works – are located the tamping machine, the minor machines, and the materials needed for the site. The work, with night shifts, will continue until the second week of August.

In the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle (Grand Est region), the second summer worksite of GCF-France is replacing the rails along line 070 000 between the station of Lunéville – a town of 20,000 inhabitants 30 km southeast of Nancy (pk 385+175) – and that of Rosières Aux Salines (pk 370+200).

Three intervention areas are scheduled for the total replacement of 16,148 meters of rail: pk 370+786 to pk 376+433 (5,832 m), pk 376+431 to pk 382+506 (5,940 m), and pk 382+304 to pk 384+951 (4,376 m).

Particularly meticulous is the work organization and, above all, the preparation of fastening components (small tools, fasteners, laying accessories, etc.), which – at the URA site in Damelevières along departmental road RD 110 – will be sorted and identified in special traceable “big bags”, functional to the site's progression needs, to be positioned according to the established loading plan and easily delivered to each scheduled destination point.

"A detailed planning," explains Sabino Carbone from GCF France Management, "is essential to ensure the fluidity of on-site supply and avoid time losses during unloading and laying operations."

Once the new rails and their respective “big bags” are deposited at the replacement points, the old rails will be cut into 10-meter segments and transported to a storage area, while the new rails will be welded to the existing ones and thermally adjusted as LRS (Long Welded Rails).

“Between mid-July and the end of August,” details Sabino Carbone, “19 thermal adjustments of the rails will be carried out (minimum radius 850 m), along with 10 incorporations of railway components and joints – operations aimed at avoiding the harmful effects that too high or too low temperatures could have on the rails, causing respectively dangerous expansions and buckling (which could lead to derailments), or in the case of thermal contraction, the breaking of welds between rails. Where necessary, pedestrian crossings will be ensured by the installation of rubber walkways.”

Launched in the last week of June with preliminary operations, the worksite – operating at night – will continue until September, focusing track interventions from July 15 to August 22 with a scheduled progress of 650 meters per night.

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