Infrabel is working on the track between Roosendaal and Antwerp

Infrabel is working on the track between Antwerp and Essen on Saturday and Sunday. This section is part of the railway line between Roosendaal and Antwerp. Work will be carried out on the track and overhead wires on this track for two consecutive weekends. A railway crossing in Essen will also be replaced.

During two weekends in September, the connection between Antwerp and Essen, near the Dutch border, will be overhauled. A mention of Infrabel reports to sister trade magazine RailTech.be that the level crossing in Essen has reached the end of its life and therefore needs to be replaced.

Due to the work, train traffic between Roosendaal and Antwerp was disrupted during the weekends of 4 and 5 September and 11 and 12 September. NS will use replaced bus transport this weekend.

Railroad crossing becomes more maintenance-friendly

The level crossing will be completely renovated: the rails will be replaced, the level crossing will be excavated later, a new layer of soil will be designed and new ballast will be placed. The level crossing will soon be easier to maintain, so that it will have to be closed less often for work.

At the catenary, branches that come too close to the catenary are pruned. “We will replace sections of rails with small cracks at the track. These minuscule cracks are still a problem, but they can lead to no problems and to rail breaks,” said the spokesman.

Line 12 is regularly used as a bypass for, for example, the high-speed line between Antwerp and Amsterdam Central. Freight transport also uses this connection and has to make detours during the work.