Lengthening and electrification of the Port du Rhin station

Did you know?
The Port autonome de Strasbourg (Strasbourg port), which has 100 km of facade, manages high-quality river and railway infrastructures. It’s a key hub for international, European, national and regional logistics.

In 2012, the Port took over the railway installations of the Strasbourg station, Port du Rhin. Since then, the Strasbourg Port has undertaken work to make these installations sounder and to boost the attractiveness of railway transport. The Port du Rhin station has a set of 14 tracks that enable it to take in and send out trains to and from the French national network. These tracks no longer comply with current standards for long electric trains that transport containers. Only six of the tracks are totally electrified and the longest measures 655 metres for standard trains that currently measure 750 metres.
This 12-month project, six of which will be given over to works. It will be carried out by Colas Rail Overhead Lines North, the lead manager, Colas Rail Trackworks South-East and Colas North-East for our client, the Port Autonome de Strasbourg, with Systra as the main contractor.

The contract covers the lengthening and electrification of the Port du Rhin marshalling yard tracks, involving excavation and demolition, the removal and laying of tracks and extending the overhead lines over the station tracks in use.

The works include the electrification of four tracks, involving paying out 3.15 km of 25kV overhead line and paying out 1.5km of overhead protective cables as well as:

• • Demolition of a switchgear shelter, a railway weighbridge and a 30-metre lighting pylon
  • Procurement and laying of five switches & crossings
  • Renewal of existing overhead line installations
  • Installation of a disconnecting device

As this site is in an area in operation, the complexity lies in coordinating the work of the members of the grouping, but also with that of the operator, notably for the management of supplies for the site (ballast, overhead line supports, embankments, excavation of polluted material, track signage panels, switches & crossings, etc).

Colas Rail is in charge of conducting the studies, procurement and carrying out the works.

Key figures:

• 8,500 m3 excavation
• Removal of 900 linear metres of track and laying of 1,200 linear metres of new track
• 66 concrete mast excavations
• 39 beak consoles
• 4 flexible gantries