Every week, 40,000 passengers take the train from the main stations in Limburg, making Hasselt an important hub in Belgian railway network.

For a safe and reliable railway service, all equipment must be kept in good working order and regular maintenance is the essential ingredient to achieve this. As part of an extensive plan to modernise maintenance operations, the national Belgian railway company - SNCB - recently inaugurated a new maintenance workshop in Hasselt.

Rolling stock is the most maintenance intensive part of the railway system and is the most vulnerable if maintenance is neglected. To guarantee the availability of the equipment during the rush hours, the maintenance teams work mainly in the evening and at night.

Thus the workshop needed a lighting solution that would satisfy a number of important criteria; optimise costs while delivering a high quality of light to ensure the safety of the 200 workers.

They opted for a flexible solution that would adapt the light levels according to the activities taking place in the different areas of the site. Based on the photometric studies, there are 2 levels of lighting:

- A general lighting of 20 lux for the large open areas, with OMNIstar luminaires mounted on 18m-high masts. These luminaires can be dimmed in the different areas when they are not being used.
 
- A higher level of light of 75 lux on each platform provided by Teceo luminaires installed on 6m-high poles. This specific lighting is turned on by simply pushing a button on the poles when the maintenance personnel are working on the dock, providing optimal working conditions.


The SNCB is perfectly satisfied with the new lighting which guarantees:

- excellent visibility

- a very good color rendering

- low energy consumption

- limited maintenance.

The employees are delighted with the new facilities that enable them to get on with their work in a safe, bright and comfortable environment.


Customer: SNCB