Re-electrification of railway line 162Arlon-Sterpenich

What was the customer’s request?

To lay micro pile foundation for the overhead line of railway line 162 between Arlon and Sterpenich, and to connect the catenary pole earthing to the micro piles.

What technical challenges did the project pose?

The first challenge was of a logistic nature. The site zone was only accessible by train.

There were two geological challenges. The micro piles had to be drilled into the rock to a depth of one metre. The rock was so hard however, that the required output could not be achieved with traditionally available materials. In addition, the rock was fragmented in some places, with underground cavities.

How did CVR tackle it?

We tackled the logistic challenge by mounting the entire site installation onto a train so that we could work autonomously for a whole week without supply from the train.

To tackle the geological challenges, we had a new machine built onto which a very heavy drilling rig could be installed. This machine had no problem achieving the required output. Moreover, the machine can be fitted with all sorts of drilling equipment/vibratory hammers, so that we can now also use it to carry out other foundation techniques. We designed a special system for filling up the underground cavities.

What was the end result?

CVR drilled about 2,000 micro piles as foundations for the prefabricated concrete blocks on which the catenary poles are mounted. All micro piles are connected to the catenary poles with earthing cables. This was the first site in Belgium where this foundation technique was used for overhead lines. The foundations for all catenary poles on line 162 between Arlon and the Luxembourg border have been laid in this way.