In October 2023, the platform and track facilities at Châtelard-Frontière station were converted to be accessible for people with disabilities.
The track construction contract was awarded to RSRG Switzerland West. In connection with this, an additional contract for mechanized track maintenance was won. This contract, carried out by the Mechanized Track Construction team, was a strong argument for further contract awards.
The bid for the project of Transport de Martigny et Régions SA (TMR) was submitted in autumn 2022. The border station to be renovated is located on the Martigny (CH) – Chamonix (F) route, on which the well-known Mont-Blanc Express operates. The contract was awarded in January 2023. During discussions to clarify the technical details of the planned track renewal, the client was presented with and informed about the internal capabilities of the RSRG group in mechanized track maintenance. Consequently, TMR SA requested a quote for the use of a tamping machine for systematic track maintenance on this route in 2023.
Since the railway line from Martigny was to be closed during the planned work, it had to be checked and confirmed beforehand that the tamping machine could be transported by road into the narrow valley. Additionally, on this railway line, a supplementary conductor rail is installed in certain sections alongside the classic overhead line. Therefore, it had to be thoroughly examined whether the tamping machine B24C could be transferred and operated in areas with this conductor rail. It turned out that this was feasible with various modifications to the B24C. A corresponding proposal was then developed in cooperation with various areas within the RSRG, which was accepted and rewarded with the contract by TMR SA. This was further proof that the bundled expertise within our group more than pays off.
In almost wintery conditions, the team led by Site Manager Mohand Hocini and Foreman Karim Cherief carried out the conversion of the three station tracks with a total length of 420 m in autumn 2023. A particular challenge was coordinating the conversion work with the progress of the local construction company, which was tasked with renewing the platform facilities. Nevertheless, the track construction work at Châtelard-Frontière station was completed on schedule and to the client's utmost satisfaction.
Simultaneously, the B24C tamping machine was deployed on the railway line. During this operation, 1,300 meters of track and six switches were tamped and track geometry data was recorded for systematic maintenance. Additionally, the tamping machine was also used on our construction site.
Of course, we are proud that since spring 2023, TMR SA has also shown interest in the IRISSYS track-specific analysis platform and measurement database, co-developed by the Diagnostics department of Rhomberg Sersa Technology. During the maintenance campaign, the tamping machine recorded the track geometry data. This allowed a pilot project to convincingly demonstrate the capabilities of this measurement and analysis platform. Following this, the Diagnostics department and thus the ARGE Track Diagnostics consortium were pleased to celebrate a contract win. They were commissioned to carry out measurement runs for track analysis on the TMR SA meter-gauge network in August 2024 using the measurement vehicle.
