German Railway Authority's approval of HSG-city creates new application opportunities

Having successfully entered the market for underground and tram systems, the HSG-city can now also be used on main-line and rapid transit interurban railways.

In October 2017, the German Railway Authority (EBA) approved Vossloh's HSG-city as a heavy ancillary vehicle capable of speeds of up 60 km/h. Having been approved in accordance with the BOStrab (Tramway Construction and Operation Ordinance) for North Rhine-Westphalia and by the Technical Supervisory Authority (TAB) in late 2015, this constitutes another important milestone for the company.

"The HSG-city was conceived for public metropolitan and suburban commuter rail systems", says Vossloh Rail Services' Managing Director, Marcel Taubert, "so this latest approval allows us to increase its use, particularly in rapid transit interurban networks. Considering our ambition to acquire new European customers for this preventive grinding technology, we view the EBA approval as a mark of quality that will attract international attention."

Flexible maintenance option
In comparison to the larger vehicles that normally operate on main-line tracks, the targeted use of the HSG-city is proving to be a more economical option. Considerably less planning and time are required thanks to its quick and easy transport, fast on-railing at the site and operating speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Effective against noise
The "Schall 03" guideline for calculating railway line noise emissions already recommends the HSG technology as an effective method of sustainable noise reduction. As its next step, Vossloh aims to have the HSG-city approved as a procedure for maintaining so-called "specially monitored track". The corresponding series of qualification tests will be taking place right up to the end of the year as part of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure's I-LENA project (new and application-oriented initiative to reduce noise emissions).

Numerous projects have shown that the HSG's diagonal grinding pattern prevents damage to both wheel and rail. The targeted removal of the rail's hardened surface inhibits the formation of the corrugations that cause rail noise.