France – SNCF Réseau has awarded TSO a 7-year rail replacement contract

Its BOA factory train will enable TSO to replace at least 270 km of track per year. This is the 7th rail replacement contract to be awarded to this NGE subsidiary by SNCF Réseau.

More than 100 employees of TSO and its specialist subsidiaries TSO CATENAIRES, TSO SIGNALISATION, FVF and SAGES-RAIL will work on this new contract. The worksite and its 100+ operators will be managed by TSO as lead contractor. TSO has been using its BOA factory train to replace rail tracks under multi-year contracts since 2019. The main advantage of this methodology is the ability to return the track to full-speed operating status at the end of each work shift. So thanks to the BOA, trains can continue to run through the worksite at normal speeds.

Operating methods and new solutions

This latest contract covering the period 2024-2031 is the 7th of its kind, and provides the operational continuity needed for TSO to capitalise on experience gained and improve its operating methods. TSO will include a new type of wagon called an LWR rail unloading wagon in its factory train to reduce the time needed to position rails at the beginning of each shift. This new wagon, produced by TSO partner NOVIUM, will be launched in 2023 to ensure that this new resource is fully operational before the contract period begins.

Safety

TSO will provide all the safety services, including:

• Full operation and support of factory trains
• Full support for mobile operations provided by track trolley operators
• Support base handling operations
• Catenary poling
• Removal and re-installation of electrical safety systems
• Installation and removal of temporary speed limits on tracks adjacent to the worksite to ensure personnel safety
• Human trackside monitoring

Preparation and collaboration

Ahead of starting rail replacement operations in 2024, the teams of TSO and SNCF Réseau will begin working together this year on sequencing track sections to be replaced in order to take full account of rail service operating constraints and optimise the use of the BOA to ensure that the maximum length of track is replaced each year.

Key figures for this contract

2024-2031: 7 years + 1-year option to extend to 2031

A minimum of 270 km of rails to be replaced annually (minimum weight of rails handled per year = 4.5 times that of the steel framework of the Eiffel Tower)