700-metre work train renews Leuven–Liège high-speed line
Rail infrastructure manager Infrabel is renewing 24 km of sleepers on the high-speed line between Hoegaarden and Pousset, using a colossal 700-metre-long work train for the task.
The project forms part of a major renovation of the Leuven–Liège line, which carries around 80 trains per day, with 30 per cent of them being international. The timetable between Leuven, Landen and Liège-Guillemins has been adjusted until 17 August.
The standout feature of the site is a 700-metre Austrian-built work train, weighing 1,600 tonnes, which travels across Europe to carry out large-scale infrastructure projects. This marks only the third time the Swietelsky train has been deployed on the Belgian rail network.
The train performs several operations in one continuous process: it lifts and spreads the rails, removes and filters the ballast, lays new sleepers, redistributes the cleaned ballast and finally replaces the rails. It is capable of renewing up to 2 km of track (or 3,600 sleepers) per day.
© BELGA VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS
The first phase of the works will run from 2025 to 2026, with work taking place around the clock for 16 days and nights. Services are suspended until 17 August, and some routes are being diverted. On weekends, intercity trains between Leuven and Liège will take around 25 minutes longer. A total of 40,000 new sleepers will be installed. The second phase of the project is scheduled from 2028 to 2031. The total investment amounts to 59 million euros.
Infrabel is also continuing work on the Brussels–French border high-speed line this summer. Train traffic between Halle and Silly will be suspended from 16 to 31 August to allow for the replacement of rails, sleepers and ballast, along with two switches. Services will be diverted, adding approximately 15 minutes to journey times.
Aerial shot taken during a press visit to the Infrabel track renewal site on the Leuven-Liege high-speed line (LGV2), in Lincent, on Tuesday 05 August 2025. © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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