Infrabel - Articles and news items

Infrabel tests new Diabolo railway infrastructure

Rail industry news / 24 April 2012 /

Testing of the Diabolo railway infrastructure is the final step in obtaining authorisation to put the new railway connection into service. After this, on 10 June 2012, the northern railway access to Brussels Airport will be fully operational.

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ERTMSCamCorder used for recording and analysing onsite testing on Belgium part of Corridor C

Rail industry news / 29 February 2012 /

Siemens Signalling Belgium assists Infrabel for the ETCS L1 lines that pertain to ERTMS Corridor C, due to be ready end of 2013 (main path).

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Infrabel is putting the finishing touches to its Diabolo project

Issue 1 2012 / 6 February 2012 /

Infrabel, the manager of the Belgian railway infrastructure, is currently putting the finishing touches to Diabolo – the new direct rail link to and from Brussels Airport. With four months before the rail link goes into service, Luc Lallemand, Infrabel’s CEO, exclusively tells European Railway Review the most important achievements and strategic priorities of the prestigious Diabolo project.

Strategic railway link in the centre of Europe

Thanks to Diabolo, Brussels Airport will be directly connected with the major axes of the Belgian network and also with several European cities, via the international axes Frankfurt–Liège–Brussels–Paris and Amster – dam–Brussels–Paris.

After the completion of the Belgian highspeed network in 2009, which is now in service and which covers the Belgian territory from border to border (in the direction of France, Germany and the Netherlands and in the direction of Great Britain through the Eurotunnel) Belgium once again has strategically positioned itself at the centre of Europe.

Diabolo is an underground railway connection between the Brussels-National- Airport station (in the airport itself) and the new double railway line Schaerbeek–Mechelen (L25N) along the central reservation of the E19 motorway, which will also contribute to improving congestion to and from the capital. (more…)

Infrabel’s clientoriented strategy in a liberalised railway market

Issue 1 2011 / 15 February 2011 /

Infrabel, manager of the Belgian railway infrastructure, has developed a variety of products and services for railway operators and its industrial clients. This initiative fits into the strategy of a client-oriented account management that caters to all individual needs. In an interview with European Railway Review, Luc Vansteenkiste, Director General Rail Access, discusses the challenges Infrabel faces within the context of a liberalised railway market. (more…)

Rail Infrastructure Managers welcome overhaul of European railway laws

Rail industry news / 17 September 2010 /

The heads of European rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) welcome the far reaching revision of basic European railway regulation proposed today by the European Commission. The recast of the “First Railway Package” will help to cement the gains that have been made by the liberalisation of the railway market in the last seven years. The functional independence of rail infrastructure managers will be further entrenched in order to make European railways more competitive for the benefit of all users.

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Infrabel feverishly continues working on Liefkenshoek rail link

Issue 1 2010, Past issues / 28 January 2010 /

Infrabel, the Belgian railway infrastructure manager, is busy working on building a direct rail link between the Left and the Right Bank in the Port of Antwerp: the Liefkenshoek rail link. In mid-January 2010, the project company LOCORAIL NV started boring the first of two tunnel shafts. In a conversation with European Railway Review, Luc Vansteenkiste, Infrabel’s Director General of Access to the Network, explains this spectacular work, the safety aspects and the importance of this prestigious project for Infrabel and the Port of Antwerp. (more…)

The Liefkenshoek rail connection PPP

Issue 1 2009, Past issues / 23 January 2009 /

Infrabel, the infrastructure manager of the Belgian railway network, is committed to investing strongly in the extension of the railway capacity towards the port of Antwerp. An important project in this respect is the construction of the Liefkenshoek rail connection, which will be realised with private capital by the special project company LOCORAIL NV, which was set up for this purpose. In an interview with European Railway Review, Luc Lallemand, CEO of Infrabel, speaks about the challenges, strategy and Infrabel’s investment related to this Public Private Partnership (PPP).

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Strong investments to improve Brussels Airport rail accessibility

Issue 1 2008, Past issues / 29 January 2008 /

Infrabel, the infrastructure manager of the Belgian railway network, has invested strongly in the extension of the railway capacity towards Brussels Airport. An important project in this respect is the construction of the Diabolo, which will be realised with private capital by the specifically set up project company, Northern Diabolo NV. In an interview with European Railway Review, Luc Lallemand, CEO of Infrabel, speaks about the challenges, strategy and Infrabel’s investment related to this Public Private Partnership (PPP).

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Investment in improved safety and regularity

Issue 1 2008, Past issues / 29 January 2008 /

Infrabel, the Belgian railway infrastructure management company, is investing in the modernisation of its network control centres in a number of stages. The new Traffic Control centre and the concentration of signal boxes are two important projects in this context. In an interview with European Railway Review, Eddy Clement, Director General of Infrabel Network, talks about Infrabel’s planning, strategy and investment regarding this modernisation project.

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Strong port investments to create efficient Intermodal links

Issue 5 2007, Past issues / 26 September 2007 /

Infrabel, the infrastructure manager of the Belgian railway network, is investing strongly in the extension of a competitive, suitable railway infrastructure in various Belgian ports. These extensions support the development of the ports and will improve intermodality between rail and water. In an interview with European Railway Review, Luc Lallemand, CEO of Infrabel, speaks about the challenges, strategy and Infrabel’s port investments.

According to various studies, freight traffic at various Belgian ports is on the increase. This increase concerns not only the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge but also the smaller ports of Ghent, Brussels, Ostend, Liège and Athus. For this reason, Infrabel is involved in various infrastructure projects in order to extend railway capacity and to support the expansion of the ports. By means of well-considered investment planning, the aim is to increase the share of the railways in the ports by making full use of existing and future railway potential. To follow is an overview of the most important infrastructure projects and investments in the various ports. (more…)

Belgian high-speed: project completion in sight

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

Belgium, at the heart of Europe’s railway network, is a key link in what is to become a vast interoperable network of high-speed lines covering Europe. Infrabel intends to take every advantage of the opportunities this will offer. The high-speed line between Brussels and the Dutch border will be put at the disposal of the operators in April 2007; the link between Brussels and the German border is scheduled for December 2007. European Railway Review spoke to Jean Marie Raviart, Director-General Infrastructure of Infrabel, about the final phase in the Belgian high-speed project.

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On track for greater mobility

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

Every day, approximately 360,000 commuters travel into and out of Brussels and a further 50,000 or so are forecast to join their ranks by 2008. Against this background of increasing commuter numbers, and as road networks become increasingly congested, the Réseau Express Régional is undoubtedly the best solution for ensuring long-term mobility in and around Europe’s capital. European Railway Review met with Luc Lallemand, CEO of Infrabel, for an open talk about the RER project, the challenges and the investments.

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