TUC RAIL

TUC RAIL is a Belgian engineering company specialised in railway technology and infrastructure. Founded in 1992 as a subsidiary of the Belgian national railway company SNCB and Transurb Consult, it is today a 100% subsidiary of Infrabel, the manager of the Belgian railway infrastructure. The company is headquartered in Brussels and operates both in Belgium and internationally, with more than 30 years of experience in railway engineering. TUC RAIL's core business covers the full lifecycle of railway projects: feasibility studies, general layout and detailed design, civil engineering (bridges, tunnels, viaducts and other structures), track, electrification and power supply, signalling and telecommunications. The company positions itself as a multidisciplinary, end-to-end engineering bureau for sustainable mobility. Its services are organised around four main areas: railway engineering, railway expertise and products, energy transition, and Digital Railways. Historically, TUC RAIL was created to design, coordinate and supervise the Belgian high-speed rail network (LGV). It played a determining role in the delivery of LGV 1, 2, 3 and 4, and in the modernisation of the national railway infrastructure. Since the 2000s it has also contributed to the development of the Brussels Regional Express Network (RER), including four-tracking of lines, new multimodal stops and urban and environmental integration projects. Internationally, TUC RAIL has worked on projects such as the Perpignan–Figueras high-speed line between France and Spain, the renovation of Riga station in Latvia, and the future Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed line in Morocco. In parallel, TUC RAIL has diversified into soil remediation, geotechnics, low-carbon solutions and energy-transition-related infrastructure. The company employed around 900 people in 2024. Through its Digital Railways unit, it offers ICT consultancy and data centre services tailored to railway organisations, including SAP implementations, GSM-R and FRMCS studies, and AI-based safety tools. It also commercialises a data centre in Mechelen, owned by Infrabel, comprising 1,800 m² including offices and three 500 m² modules.

TUC RAIL was founded in 1992 as a subsidiary of the Belgian national railway company SNCB and Transurb Consult. Its founding mission was to design, coordinate and supervise the construction of the Belgian high-speed rail network (LGV), launched in the 1990s to connect Brussels with neighbouring countries. It was created as a dedicated entity for delegated project ownership on behalf of the former SNCB, and was later integrated into Infrabel, of which it is now a 100% subsidiary. The first major engineering project entrusted to TUC RAIL was LGV 1, the 88 km link between the French border (Esplechin) and Brussels-Midi station, including 71 km of new line capable of 300 km/h. The final section between Lembeek and Brussels involved modernisation of the existing Line 96 with dedicated TGV tracks at 220 km/h. Notable structures included the Antoing viaduct over the Scheldt (438 m, with a 120 m central span, one of the longest in Europe), the Arbre viaduct (over 2 km, the longest railway viaduct in Europe at the time of construction, designed to reduce noise and integrate into the landscape), and covered cuttings, bridges and tunnels at Halle, Forest and Drogenbos. Despite initial delays due to political blockages over permits, the line was commissioned in phases, with a first section active from 1996. It connected Brussels to Paris in 1h30 and then to the Channel Tunnel. The inauguration took place in 1997. LGV 2, opened in December 2002, is a 66 km line designed for services to Germany, crossing densely urbanised areas and involving massive modernisation of railway infrastructure. LGV 3, the last link of the Belgian high-speed network, entered service in June 2009. TUC RAIL acted as project manager for all technical aspects, including construction of the Soumagne tunnel (6.5 km, allowing speeds up to 200 km/h and the longest railway tunnel in the country at the time of construction), nine covered cuttings, several viaducts (Prester, Battice, Hammerbrücke) and major civil engineering works. It also coordinated homologation tests with Eurailtest, dynamic tests, and measurements of catenary current collection, noise, vibration and tunnel pressure. The entire project, costing 830 million euros, made Belgium the first European country with a complete high-speed network from border to border. TUC RAIL also participated in archaeological excavations with Infrabel and the Walloon Region on the LGV 3 site; between 1995 and 2003, the ground was excavated over 65 km, revealing Neanderthal, Merovingian and Gallo-Roman remains. TUC RAIL also led studies and technical monitoring for LGV 4, the line towards the Netherlands, commissioned at the end of 2009, connecting Antwerp to the new Noorderkempen station and linking Brussels to Amsterdam in 1h52. Other high-speed projects include participation in the study, coordination and verification of the Haramain High Speed Rail Corridor linking Medina to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, extensive studies on track, catenary, safety and equipment for the Perpignan–Figueras line between France and Spain, and modernisation of railway lines between Bucharest and Brasov and between Câmpina and Predeal in Romania. Smaller projects have also been carried out in the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Germany. In the early 2000s, population growth, European environmental requirements and a lack of parking space led to the conclusion that a Regional Express Network (RER) in and around Brussels had become a priority. The RER is a railway infrastructure project aimed at improving mobility within a 30 km radius of Brussels, designed to relieve road congestion and offer a sustainable transport alternative to hundreds of thousands of daily commuters. It mainly involves four-tracking existing lines to separate fast and local traffic. TUC RAIL has participated in the development of the RER since the 2000s, working on four-tracking of certain lines, creation of new multimodal stops, and urban and environmental integration projects. In parallel, TUC RAIL has diversified its activities towards soil remediation, geotechnics, low-carbon solutions and energy-transition-related infrastructure. The company employed around 900 people in 2024. In 2012, the project for a new professional data centre was launched in Mechelen: 1,800 m² including offices and three 500 m² modules (2 kW/m²) with a PUE of 1.3, 100% owned by Infrabel, TUC RAIL's parent company. TUC RAIL is responsible for commercialising the data centre to meet strong demand for ICT availability.

• 2024

  Company employs around 900 people.

• 2012

  Project for a new professional data centre launched in Mechelen.

• 2009

  LGV 3 (Chênée–Walhorn) entered service in June; LGV 4 (Antwerp–Noorderkempen) commissioned at the end of the year.

• 2002

  LGV 2 (Louvain–Ans) opened in December.

• 1997

  LGV 1 inaugurated, connecting Brussels to Paris in 1h30.

• 1996

  First section of LGV 1 becomes active.

• 1992

  TUC RAIL founded as a subsidiary of SNCB and Transurb Consult.

Multidisciplinary, end-to-end railway engineering bureau for sustainable mobility, with over 30 years of experience in Belgium and abroad.

• Railway engineering

  Feasibility studies, general layout and detailed design, civil engineering, track, electrification, signalling and telecommunications.

• Railway expertise and products

  Specialised expertise and products for railway infrastructure.

• Energy transition

  Low-carbon solutions and energy-transition-related infrastructure.

• Digital Railways

  ICT consultancy and data centre services for railway organisations, including SAP, GSM-R, FRMCS and AI safety tools.

1. 1TUC RAIL | Bureau d’ingénierie ferroviairetucrail.be
2. 2Découvrez les produits et services de notre entreprisetucrail.be
3. 3Nos services ICT : consultance ICT et data centretucrail.be
4. 4Nos services en ingénierie ferroviaire pour votre projettucrail.be
5. 5TUC Railwikidata.org
6. 6TUC RAILfr.wikipedia.org