Frejus Railway reopening might be delayed even further
The works to repair the Frejus Railway, the main railway border crossing between France and Italy, may need more time than previously expected. Emmanuel Manier Director of the Southeast Engineering Zone for SNCF Réseau, recently said that it might be necessary to demolish and completely rebuild the Frejus rail tunnel. This process, he said, would take at least 18 months of work, which means there won’t be a reopening before at least mid-2025.
“We don’t yet know if we can save the gallery, we will know in a few weeks”, Manier said, according to an article from French media Les Echos on 26 January. Despite underlining that total demolition and consequent reconstruction is not necessarily a likely scenario, he highlighted that it would be an easier but significantly longer process. In case this is the choice, the plan would entail creating a new gallery with prefabricated elements. Manier estimated that this initiative would cost between three and four million euros.
SNCF Réseau still hopes that the current timeline remains in place. “The clearance of the tunnel ends in February. Today, we confirm that the tunnel is saved, despite remaining under surveillance. In this context, we are confident about the opening of the line in the autumn of 2024”, a spokesperson from the company told RailFreight.com on 2 February. Back in November, Olivier Thevenet, vice president of the departmental council responsible for infrastructure, mobility and travel for the Savoy region, said the cleanup actions would last until early summer. Manier, however, is now saying that they will end in the fall. After these processes are completed, works on the rail and road infrastructure can then start.
Reopening deadlines keep sliding
The Frejus rail tunnel, built in 1871 and part of the Turin-Chambéry railway line, has been closed since the end of August 2023 due to a landslide in Saint-André à La Praz, roughly 20 kilometres from the French border with Italy. First estimates pointed out that the railway should have been reopened in the summer of 2024. However, by November, there were claims stating it would not be possible to reinstate traffice before the end of 2024. With Manier’s most recent comments, it looks like the path to reopening may still be a long one.
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