{"id":6824,"date":"2020-09-01T16:44:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T14:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.investinluxembourg.be\/a-vital-rail-link-for-our-development\/"},"modified":"2024-01-03T09:01:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T08:01:31","slug":"a-vital-rail-link-for-our-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investinluxembourg.be\/en\/a-vital-rail-link-for-our-development\/","title":{"rendered":"A vital rail link for our development!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This important stage in the work involved in the new 165\/3 link to connect Belgium and France, as well as offering access to the\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Terminal Container Athus (\u201cTCA\u201d)<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, was completed on Friday ! The structure of a new rail runnel was put in under Avenue de l’Europe (N830). Weighing almost 3,000 tonnes, it was moved into its final position thanks to the use of around forty jacks. We can explain everything !<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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A SIGHT TO BEHOLD<\/h2>\n

The \u201cbeast\u201d is a staggering 9.2m tall, 8.6m wide and 33m long. It was constructed in the space of 4 months just a few metres away from its final position<\/strong>. The challenge? Positioning this imposing structure under one of the busiest A roads in the Luxembourg province, Avenue de l’Europe (N830)<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To achieve this, the road was closed to traffic in the middle of August in order to dig an opening (13,000 m3 of excavated material) to house the new rail tunnel. This Friday, it will be moved 45m using jacks. 42 of them to be precise. It will be lifted up by 40 side jacks and pushed into position by 2 larger jacks.\u00a0The process should take a total of 5 hours.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And then?<\/span><\/p>\n

Extensive backfilling and road works will be carried out to repair the N830. This work is due to be completed by the end of August The work to create the new rail platform and the entire infrastructure (guttering, ballast, sleepers, rails etc.) for the new link will begin at the same time and\u00a0is due to be completed next summer.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A detailed explanation about creating this rail tunnel link between Athus and Mont Saint-Martin is available (in French) in a\u00a0<\/span>television report broadcast by RTBF.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/investinluxembourg.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Travaux-PED.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A NEW LINK TO ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT<\/h2>\n

The Terminal Container Athus<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is Belgium\u2019s number one \u201cdry port\u201d. In 2019, thanks to a combination of rail and road transport, some 76,067 shipping containers<\/strong> passed through its facilities on their way to ports in the North Sea or the Sarre\/Lorraine\/Luxembourg region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up until now, operators keen to make use of the services offered by the \u201cTCA\u201d did not have direct access to France, making journeys more complicated and reducing the appeal of its multimodal solutions. Aware of the economic and environmental issues at stake,<\/span>\u00a0Infrabel<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the Intermunicipal organisation IDELUX<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which manages the site \u2013 have been pursuing the idea of a new link between Athus (B) and Mont\u2010Saint\u2010Martin (F)<\/strong> for many years.\u00a0This project is now going ahead, thanks to financial and operational contributions from a number of partners including\u00a0Europe, the Federal Government, Wallonia, Infrabel, IDELUX and <\/strong><\/span>SNCF R\u00e9seau.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"TCA<\/p>\n

This work will turn the<\/span>\u00a0Terminal Container Athus\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/a>from a \u201cterminal\u201d into an \u201cinternational hub\u201d,<\/strong>\u00a0offering fantastic potential for economic development for this 16-hectare site (which employs 49 people) and for the whole of South Luxembourg. The project will therefore help boost the capacity of the international freight corridor to which the \u201cTCA\u201d is connected, and promote the \u201cmodal shift\u201d that everybody is so keen to achieve.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Terminal<\/span><\/p>\n

GREATER CAPACITY BETWEEN THE NORTH SEA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN<\/h2>\n

Athus is on the edge of one of 3 European freight corridors that travel through Belgium, the Rail Freight Corridor North Sea\u2010Mediterranean (RFC NSM), which connects the port of Antwerp to the Mediterranean. Last year\u00a0more than 11,500 goods trains followed this route, which is commonly referred to as \u201cAthus\u2010Meuse\u201d<\/strong>. That means that around 13 million tonnes (gross tonnage) travelled by rail, preventing the equivalent of around 400,000 articulated lorries from travelling on our roads! It is estimated that rail transport\u00a0consumes 6 times less energy than road transport, whilst emitting 9 times less CO2.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Creating this new link will further extend the transport capacity of this corridor, by creating two tracks to France.\u00a0It also offers access to France for the \u201cBrussels\u2010Namur\u2010Arlon\u201d line,<\/strong>\u00a0the RFC2\u2019s secondary route.<\/span><\/p>\n

More generally, establishing this missing link is one factor that will help European and Belgian rail companies achieve the recently announced ambition of\u00a0doubling the volumes of freight transported by rail between now and 2030.<\/strong>\u00a0All of the partners involved in this project are therefore contributing to European targets for reducing pollution and cutting down road congestion.<\/span><\/p>\n

A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF \u20ac20.2 MILLION<\/h2>\n

The \u201cAthus\u2010Mont\u2010Saint\u2010Martin\u201d link is one of the projects in <\/span>Infrabel\u2019s<\/span><\/strong><\/a> PSPI (multi-annual strategic investment plan). As such, it is being funded thanks to a Federal contribution released by the Federal Minister for Mobility (the so-called \u201cvirtuous\u201d billion)\u00a0of \u20ac9.2 million.<\/strong>\u00a0The Walloon Region is co-financing the project with a contribution of \u20ac5.1 million<\/strong>.\u00a0European subsidies (CEF and ERDF<\/strong>\u00a0for capped totals of around \u20ac2.8 million each<\/strong>) as well as a contribution from IDELUX (\u20ac300,000<\/strong>) and from SNCF R\u00e9seau make up the total budget of \u20ac20.2 million.<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text]