FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has awarded a consortium of Colas Rail, Colas Génie Civil and Legrand a €22m contract to refurbish a 70 km section of the Ligne des Horlogers route between Besançon and the Swiss border near La Chaux-de-Fonds.
This will include 34 km of ballast track renewal, upgrading 20 level crossings, 12 km of drainage works, the refurbishment of six structures and signalling modernisation on 13 km of the route.
‘The Ligne des Horlogers is located in a mountainous area and will require a specific technical organisation, logistics and renewal method’, said François Lambin, Project Manager for Colas Rail on February 25. ‘The works, carried out in complete traffic interruption, will start in March 2021, with delivery scheduled for the end of August 2021.’
As part of the scheme, 8 800 h of work will be undertaken by participants in a programme for people who have been out of the workforce. ‘This approach is fully in line with our corporate social responsibility commitments as well as our integration policy’, said Fabrice Tumoine, HR Director for France at Colas Rail. ‘Integration should not be seen as a constraint but rather as an opportunity to balance social and economic performance. With this project, we will offer people who have been out of the workforce the opportunity to reintegrate the job market, while respecting the social clauses specified in our contract, which is a great source of satisfaction for us.’
