Exploding costs at Luxembourg City “Viaduct”

(CS/DL) Costs at a construction site in Luxembourg City to add two rail tracks to the “Viaduct” railway bridge have risen to 246 million euros after significant stabilisation work became necessary at the site.

During construction it was found that the old Viaduct has cracks, even though it was renovated in 2003. The hill on the other side of the Alzette valley has apparently been sinking and pushing against the bridge. The so-called “Perré” will now have to be stabilised.

Using 4.3 million litres of fluid, combined with 300 steal beams, which are 16 metres in length and weigh 30 tonnes each, the ground will be fortified.

This will allow the expansion of the railway tracks to go ahead as planned. The project includes the construction of a second railway bridge, parallel to the Viaduct for two additional rail tracks. A tunnel located on the other side of the Alzette valley will also need to be adjusted to accommodate the additional tracks.

The construction site has been ongoing since 2009 and has made significant progress. The second bridge is nearly finished, with nine out of 11 parts already assembled. Some 150 builders are working on site.

A temporary bridge for motorists for a diversion at Boulevard d'Avranches will be moved in September this year to allow works at the tunnel to continue. By mid-2015 traffic in the area will return to normal.

However, it will not be until 2019 that the first trains will use the new tracks. Until then, there will be disruptions of services, mainly to Wasserbillig. For a large part of next year, the Cents and Sandweiler train stations will not be serviced, with replacement buses in their stead.

Not only the stabilisation works at the site led to an increase in costs. Early on, fortification ruins were discovered prompting an archeological dig at the site. This in turn meant that a cycling path in the valley had to be diverted. The result: additional costs of 800,000 euros.

In first estimates costs were expected at 110 million euros. An updated budget will be presented to parliament soon.

For updates on rail service disruptions consult cfl.lu

Don't miss out on the news – sign up to receive the wort.lu newsletter in English delivered to your inbox six days a week.