The last stage of the Ringsted-Femern line spans 32 kilometers between Nykøbing Falster and Holeby on Lolland. Here, a double track will be laid, and the line will be electrified. The actual work of laying the tracks begins at the end of March, and this requires a significant amount of materials.
100,000 sleepers
Specifically, in addition to the 128 kilometers of railway tracks, 100,000 concrete sleepers and 100,000 tons of granite ballast are required.
These many concrete sleepers are produced at Banedanmark’s own sleeper factory in Fredericia and must be transported from there to Lolland. This has resulted in a busy time for the haulage company Eigil Jensen in Billund. Only 130 sleepers can fit on one wagon load. This means – in whole timber lengths – 800 trips from Fredericia to Lolland.
– That’s fine
– That’s fine, replies Anders Henriksen, who is responsible for bids and material transport at Eigil Jensen, with usual Jutland pragmatism, when FemernReport asks what such an order means for the company.
– It came at a convenient time at the beginning of the year when things are otherwise not so busy. We are about to finish. We started in January, and by the first of April, we hope to have it all done, says Anders Henriksen.
Also to transport ballast from Nakskov Port
In general, Banedanmark keeps the Mid-Jutland haulier well occupied. It is also Eigil Jensen tasked with transporting ballast for the Lolland railway section. The 100,000 tons of ballast are shipped to Nakskov by boat from Sweden and Norway. From there, they are transported to the site of use.
Over 3,400 wagon loads in total
One wagon load is about 38 tons of ballast, so there will be over 2,600 trips – albeit somewhat shorter than those from Fredericia. But with a total of over 3,400 wagon loads, the railway still wears quite a bit on Lolland’s roads.
Recycled sub-ballast
The sub-ballast for the Nykøbing-Holeby stretch, on the other hand, is a recycling project. It involves a total of 120,000 cubic meters of the old ballast from the section being crushed and laid out again. So they already know the way.
