A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Abutment
Constitutive element of a bridge. The part at each extremity of the bridge on which the arch of the bridge or the apron rests.
Adjacent parking
Parking parallel to the railway track.
Adjudication of bids
The procedure for concluding a public procurement contract in which the tender is awarded to the contractor or service provider who has submitted the lowest regular bid.
Arched bridge
Bridge resting on one or more arches.
Arrival and departure yard
The aggregate of railway tracks where freight trains from domestic destinations or abroad are gathered upon arrival or before departure.
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Ballast
Layer of coarse stone chippings used to spread the weight of rolling stock as uniformly as possible across the roadbed, dampen vibrations caused by the passage of trains, allow rainwater run-off and correct track grading.
Bridge deck
Part of the bridge used for traffic.
BRIO
Belgian Railway Infrastructure Objectives. Infrabel's strategic plan describing the company's key objectives.
Bulletin des Adjudications [Belgian Public Tender Bulletin]
For further information, click here.
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Call for tenders
The procedure for concluding a public procurement contract in which the tender is awarded to the contractor or service provider who has submitted the most economically advantageous regular bid from the public company’s point of view.
Commissioning
Bringing into commercial use a line or specific technical installation (permanent structure, etc.) for the purposes of operating train services.
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Developing two or three-dimensional models using computer programs (AutoCAD, CAD/CAM, STAR) in order to replace or complement the designs which are still produced using drawing boards.
Connecting bend
Bend connecting two railways or a railway and a station.
Construction Contract Manager (CCM)
Responsible for coordinating and managing the order and the worksite, monitoring progress and ensuring compliance with the objectives from the beginning to the end of the project, supervising, following up and checking the quality of the work carried out by the contractor; key person for all quality, environmental and safety aspects related to the completion and delivery of the site; manages all the documents necessary for the execution of the order from the beginning to the final delivery.
Continuous welded rails
Rails welded to each other at a length of 300 metres. The absence of joints in continuous welded rails ensures more comfort on the ride and less noise pollution.
Covered cutting
Civil engineering work covering the railway line entirely. Unlike a tunnel which is dug through the ground, a covered cutting is done by first constructing the side walls, then the new concrete slabs. Afterwards the earth is cleared away under these new slabs. Finally the roof of the cutting is undertaken. The upper slab can then be fitted out according to need (hard surface, earth covering,…).
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DVIS
Dienst voor veiligheid en interoperabiliteit van de Spoorwegen. Railway Safety and Interoperability Service. Belgian safety authority.
EBITDA
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Financial term expressing the performance of a company.
EBT
Earnings before taxes. Financial term to express the performance of a company.
EIR-experts
People specialised in implementing environmental effect studies.
Electrified tracks
Tracks equipped with a power cable providing electric traction power to the trains.
Environmental effects report
Report which evaluates the impact and consequences of a railway project on the living environment.
Environmental effects study
Study which evaluates the impact and consequences of a railway project on the living environment.
ERTMS
European Rail Traffic Management System. A traffic management system developed by the integration of ETCS (European Train Control System, a signalling system) with GSM-R (a communicating system) designed gradually to replace existing traffic control systems in the various countries.
ETCS
European Train Control System. European train control system that can automatically stop a train that neglects a red sign or exceeds the maximum speed limit.
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Formwork
Formwork is a temporary structure, used to mould material until it sets and hardens. The aim of this technique is to make concrete structures with precisely defined shapes. Siding is used because concrete is in a pasty state when laid. It is subject to its own weight and requires a mould to give it shape then keep it in place, until it reaches its phase of self stability.
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Green wall
Wall covered in vegetation. This wall often consists of a pile of prefabricated elements, which are then filled with earth so that the vegetation can grow in it.
Grid
Set of track equipment (such as switching) covered by signals.
GSM-R
GSM for Railways. Digital communication network reserved for railway companies.
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HSL
High-speed line. Railway line constructed in addition to the existing network with a layout and equipment designed for trains to travel at high speeds.
Hydraulic outlet
Opening intended for the passage of water in a hydraulic installation (opening in contact with water).
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Infrastructure fee
Fee paid to Infrabel by railway operators for the use of the railway infrastructure.
Inner port
Port area not directly adjacent to the sea.
Intermodality
Successive implementation of different forms of transport (air-road-railwaterway).
Inventory of fixtures
Description of the actual state of the premises.
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Kiss & Ride
Provision for short-term parking at a station or stop.
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Level crossing
Place where the public road crosses a railway track.
Liberalisation of the railway sector
Opening up of the railway traffic market. Several companies will be allowed to arrange train traffic in Belgium, thus creating a competitive market.
Liefkenshoek rail link
Direct rail connection between the left and right bank of the Scheldt in the Port of Antwerp. Part of the connection consists of a tunnel and is currently under construction.
Life Cycle Cost
A method used to estimate the cost price of a product over its life cycle.
Logistic Centres for Infrastructure (LCI)
Centre which organises personnel and material resources required for maintenance and repairs of the infrastructure in a certain zone.
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Marshalling station
Station where freight containers are being arranged to form complete freight trains. It is the place where cars are being separated and connected to the right train, ensuring that the containers reach the correct destination.
Marshalling yard
Aggregate of railway tracks where freight containers are being arranged to form complete freight trains. It is the place where cars are being separated and connected to the right train, ensuring that the containers reach the correct destination.
Multimodal
Transport chain employing several transport methods.
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Negotiated procedure
The procedure for concluding a public procurement contract in which the public company consults the contractors or service providers of its choice and negotiates the terms of the contract with one or more of them.
Noise(-reducing) walls
Walls placed alongside the tracks to absorb noise, thus reducing noise pollution for local residents.
North-South connection
Link between the stations Brussels Nord and Brussels Midi.
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Official Journal of the European Union
For further information, click here.
Outer port
Port area directly adjacent to the sea.
Overhead catenary
Power cables above the railway tracks. Trains receive their driving power from contact with these cables.
Overpass
Railway civil engineering structure (often a bridge) passing over the constituent elements of the landscape (water, roads, fields, …).
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Parallel road
Public road alongside the track.
Pile driving
Operation consisting in driving a deep foundation (in steel, concrete or reinforced concrete), also called piles, into the ground by the dynamic effect of shocks or vibrations with the help of a driving appliance. This operation is done with the aim of constructing a structure on good ground, when the superficial layers are of mediocre resistance.
Pillars
Pillars, supporting columns supporting a bridge, for instance.
Planning permit
Licence required for the construction of infrastructure.
PMO Officer (Project Management Office)
Responsible for the administrative coordination of projects: project organisation, monitoring, steering and support.
PPP
Public Private Partnership. A means of financing investment in which a government body contracts with a private service provider to design, build and maintain a public infrastructure project over a substantial period of time (between 25 and 30 years). In return, the private sector partner receives lease rental income for the duration of the contract.
Project EIR
Specific type of environmental effects report prepared for projects that require an environmental or planning permit.
Project Engineer (PE)
Responsible for the design and on-site follow up of special techniques (electricity, lighting, low-voltage current, fire safety, etc.) applied in building projects; draws up specifications and tender documents.
Project Manager (PM)
Manages a specific project which has time and budget constraints; defines, coordinates and closely follows up the project.
Public procedure
The procedure for concluding a public procurement contract in which any interested contractor or service provider may submit a bid and in which the bid opening session is public.
Public procurement contract
A public procurement contract is a type of contract for pecuniary interest concluded between one or more contractors or service providers and one or more public companies which has as its object the carrying out of works or the provision of services.
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Quadrupling of tracks
Adding one or several tracks in order to increase the capacity of a railway line. Upgrading to four tracks is done for example in the context of installing the RER (Réseau Express Régional – Regional Express Network).
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Rail bypass
Railway connection of access.
Rail dampers
A means to reduce the noise caused by passing trains, rail dampers are attached to the rails to reduce vibrations when a train passes over them.
Rail interoperability
Ability of a rail system to provide safe and uninterrupted train journeys (for example, for a train originating in Germany to use the Belgian network and vice versa).
Rail yards
The aggregate of railway tracks where trains are gathered.
Rail yards
The aggregate of railway tracks where trains are gathered.
Railway crossover
Railway bridge on which one or several lines run and below which one or several other lines run. In railway language, the crossover point is called PX.
Railway equipment
Equipment necessary for trains to operate: tracks, overhead wiring, sleepers, signals, etc.
Railway infrastructure
Infrastructure necessary for trains to operate: tracks, overhead wiring, sleepers, signals, etc.
Railway operators
Companies that arrange and control train traffic on the railway network.
Railway platform
Railway bed. Area that accommodates the railway infrastructure.
RAMS
Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety. Specific approach which is part of a quality management system or an improvement cycle with as its objective to coherently quantify the degree of reliability, availability, maintainability and safety, as well as set out the process to achieve this in a traceable manner.
Reinforced excavations
Action of digging (in a terrain) to install a foundation. The reinforcement of the excavation serves to support the walls of the hole dug in order to prevent the sides caving in. The reinforcement material varies depending on the nature of the terrain but mainly consists of concrete.
RER
Réseau Express Régional. Future network of closely interconnected rail links and bus lines designed to absorb the expected increase in passenger traffic in a 30 km radius around Brussels.
Restricted procedure
The procedure for concluding a public procurement contract in which any contractor or service provider may ask to participate and in which only those candidates selected by the public company may submit a bid and attend the bid opening session.
Risk Management
Analyse the risks to which the company is exposed and set out their impact on the company and its processes; accept or reject these risks and take the necessary measures.
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Section
Railway track between two locations (e.g. between two stations).
Portion, part of a whole (for example : the section of a line).
Shunt movements (or shunting)
Moving trains or cars on a certain railway terrain, for instance: turning a locomotive; train arrangement; adding cars, etc.
Signal box
Control centre for coordination of train traffic. This is where the signals and switches of a specific railway network region are being controlled in order for trains to safely and quickly reach their destination.
Signal cabin
See "Signal box"
Signalling equipment
Technology that provides the required instructions to the train drivers for safe driving. The light signals and signs form part of the signalling equipment.
Signals
Signals are located alongside the train track and give certain orders to the train driver. We distinguish light signals (comparable to traffic lights) and signs indicating the allowed speed.
Sleepers
Wooden or concrete beams that carry the rails.
Slope
Steeply sloping ground, very inclined, resulting from earth works. Cutting slope: borders a railway line below. Embankment slope: made of earth brought in and which rises above the ground.
Sound absorbing cassettes
Screens placed alongside the tracks to absorb noise, thus reducing noise pollution for local residents.
Sound barrier screens
Screens placed alongside the tracks to absorb noise, thus reducing noise pollution for local residents.
Sound-absorbing embankment
Sound-absorbing embankment alongside the railway track.
Stops
Places where the train stops to load and off-load passengers.
Structural works
Engineering term. Man-made structures not intended for occupation, for instance: bridges, viaducts, locks, tunnels, etc.
Studded structure
Surface with a studded pattern, discernible when walked on. These surfaces are used to warn blind and visually impaired people of a potential danger (e.g. the platform edges at a station).
Sub-station
Electrical installation in the high-voltage power network.
Support wall
Retaining wall that can withstand the pressure of higher ground. It allows for construction of a steep wall on a hill without a risk of the earth subsiding.
Switches
Railway element that, in accordance with its position, leads trains from one track onto another.
System Engineering (SE)
Branch of science (also referred to as system knowledge or system learning) which deals with analysing and developing technical and organisational systems based on thinking in systems, processes and control loops.
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TBL
Transmission Beacon Locomotive. An automatic train control system based on the transmission of a coded signal from a trackside beacon to an aerial located underneath the locomotive.
Traction sub-station
Electricity transformation and distribution unit providing power via the catenary to a given section of electrified line.
Traffic Control
National control centre for coordination of train traffic.
Train path
Railway network capacity allocated to a specific train, equivalent to a 'slot' in aviation.
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Underpass
Railway civil engineering structure (often a tunnel) passing under the constituent elements of the landscape (water, roads, fields, …).
Underpass
Passenger passageway underneath the railway track for safe railway crossing.
Unstaffed stops
Station without service counters or railway personnel.
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Welded-in switches
Switches that are welded into the rails so as to avoid joints.
Wildlife passage
Place where animals can safely cross the railway.
Wood preservation
Treating wood with chemicals to extend its life span.
Wood-fibre concrete
Type of concrete that contains wood fibres. This concrete has noise-absorbing properties.
Workshop
Place where railway infrastructure is produced, repaired and maintained.
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Zeebrugge marshalling
Key marshalling yard at the port of Zeebrugge. This is the station where the freight containers are being arranged to form complete freight trains, in order for them to reach the correct destination.
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This lexicon was prepared in cooperation with Infrabel.