Infrabel has awarded two new contracts to Belgian companies CML Industries and Daxi S.A. Its innovative machines offer many advantages, in terms of both work ergonomics and safety. At a very competitive price.

We issue hundreds of public contracts every year, with the goal of finding high-performance, innovative equipment at a competitive cost. Major players in the European industry have put forward their technical solution for these two machines, one designed to transport large quantities of ballast to a railway construction site and the second to transport and handle short rails.

After a very careful analysis of the different proposals, we chose two machines developed by Belgian companies CML Industries, based in Libramont, and Daxi S.A., based in Jumet.

The unloader car: This machine is capable of discharging up to 450 tons of ballast. A generator makes it completely autonomous, whereas the current cars, which have a smaller load and are leased from the private sector, must be connected to a locomotive throughout the manœuvres.  Ten have been ordered, with an expected lifespan of 40 years.

The rail loading unit: This concept has proven to be capable of carrying up to 27 rails per trip, more than its competitors. The RLU is very ergonomic and safe for our teams. The rails are locked onto the cars thanks to a magnetic field, which is a real European innovation for this type of use. Eight RLUs will soon be stationed throughout the network.

Both machines are already attracting interest from foreign railway companies.