Circular
economy

Collect, recycle, recover & reuse.

Each and every day, Rail Europe Solutions works on the following material processes:

Wood

Each month, we collect 6,000 tonnes of old sleepers from the French, Belgian and European networks. We handle the transformation into fuel and guarantee that the final product is converted into green energy through a cogeneration plant.

We produce wooden sleepers from recycled materials for railway use only – in full accordance with the applicable legislation.

Concrete

We collect old concrete sleepers, mainly from the French and Belgian networks. We manage the crushing process and guarantee that the aggregates and steel are recycled through approved recycling channels.

We produce concrete sleepers from recycled materials for railway use only – in full accordance with the applicable legislation.

Rails

Each year, we collect used rails from the French and Belgian networks. We then manage the sorting and transport operations, and we ensure that they are recovered through approved channels.

We supply recycled rails for use on secondary railway tracks.

Rail fastening accessories

Each year, we collect used rail fastening accessories from the French and Belgian networks. We control the sorting and transport operations and we ensure that they are recovered through approved channels.

We supply recycled sleeper screws and bearing plates (and other products upon request) for use on secondary railway tracks.

Junctions

Every year, we collect used track equipment from the French and Belgian networks. We control the identification, sorting and transport stages, and we ensure that they are recovered through approved channels.

We supply recycled turnouts and junctions for use on secondary railway tracks.

Developing the circular economy also allows us to have a permanent and large stock of reused material from the lower part of the track (wooden and concrete sleepers, rails, switches and frogs, bearing plates, etc.).

We take care to guarantee the quality and durability of all these materials marketed under the “reuse” label.

By developing a Circular Economy approach for the entire railway sector, we are making a positive contribution to reducing the impact of our activities on the environment. For this reason, we have been certified as an approved collector/transporter for all waste collected on public and private networks in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

We began this process by setting up a recycling system for creosote-treated wooden sleepers that have been removed from the track.

We first analyse the possibilities of re-using the products, and, if this is not possible, they are recovered as materials from the relevant recycling channels.

In this respect, we have recently developed a network of industrial partners who are able to use these materials (ferrous & non-ferrous metals, aggregate, etc.s) for high value-added applications.

Circular economy

Collect, recycle, recover & reuse.

Wood

Products catalogue

Circular
economy