Aarsleff Rail has gained another advantage in the competition to lay tracks and install catenaries in the Fehmarn tunnel. The Aalborg-based railway contractor has indeed received an EU safety certificate. This was announced by Aarsleff Rail on LinkedIn.
The certificate documents that Aarsleff Rail’s safety management system meets the requirements set by the EU and Danish legislation for safe operation on the Danish railway network.
Allowed to operate with their own locomotives
In practical terms, the safety certificate also makes a difference. With it in hand, Aarsleff Rail is now allowed to operate with their own locomotives in front of their contractor machines on Banedanmark’s railway network when working on railway infrastructure – even outside track barriers.
The certificate also means that Aarsleff Rail can now operate on mainline sections where the new signaling system has been rolled out. The company was not previously allowed to do this.
Prequalified for the TTC contract
Aarsleff Rail, together with Rhomberg from Austria, is part of one of the four consortia prequalified in the bidding for the TTC contract on the Fehmarn project. TTC stands for Tunnel Track and Catenary.
The TTC contract includes 25 kilometers of double-track railway and catenaries built for trains that can travel at 200 kilometers per hour. About 19 kilometers are in connection with the actual tunnel. The last approximately six kilometers are outside the tunnel on both Danish and German sides.
Contract in place by 2025
The four consortia’s binding offers are expected over the summer. Femern A/S expects that the contract can finally be signed at the beginning of 2025.
There was no requirement in the tender material that bidders must have the EU safety certificate, as the work under the TTC contract does not take place on Banedanmark’s railway network. However, it is hardly a disadvantage to have that detail in order as well.
