For a positive environmental balance of rail as a mode of transport

Noise control is not the least of the factors contributing to maximum track availability. Noise emissions are an obstacle to network extension, they cause illness and they cause high costs. Vossloh is successfully addressing this issue directly at the root. In its “Silent & Clean Environment” themed world at the InnoTrans in Berlin, Vossloh shows how noise and vibration can be sustainably reduced and how environmentally friendly product solutions over the entire value chain contribute to a reduced carbon footprint.

The most efficient way to successfully fight noise is the optimization of the wheel-rail contact. And this is exactly the point of attack of Vossloh’s vibration-reducing product solutions and unique services.

Excellently insulated
In the field of highly elastic rail fastening systems, cellentic is the key component to stop vibrations resulting from track and wheel irregularities. With the new fastening solution DFF 336 Crossover, which is primarily intended for the rehabilitation of existing track, the polymer coated base plate additionally enhances the vertical elasticity. At the same time, the angled guide plates improve stability and gauge guidance resulting in less corrugation on the rail surface, especially in curves.

Thanks to the high polymer share, the system as a whole has a high insulating resistance and is also recommended for use in corrosive environments. The energy-efficient production and the low total weight have a positive effect on the carbon footprint.

Silent rails
Corrugation and slip waves are the main causes of rail noise. Depending on the depth of the rail defects, Vossloh offers different treatment technologies to restore a “silent” rail surface. Rail and turnout treatment machines together ensure an accurate metal removal and a reduction of the noise by up to 10 dB(A).

Also the treatment machines themselves operate silently. The new compact Multi Purpose Milling (MPM) machine, for instance, stays below a noise level of 78 dB(A) in milling mode so that even in night shifts, local residents will not be annoyed. And the High Performance Milling machine has a smart engine management system with an environmentally friendly energy recovery, which reduces both the fuel consumption and the noise emissions.

Smart use of renewable energies
In order to ensure trouble-free operation of turnouts even at freezing temperatures or snowfall, the switch device must be heated – that is nothing new. Vossloh has now developed a smart turnout heating for trams which utilizes the thermal capacity of steel in a welded monobloc-sandwich design. An eco-friendly alcohol-based liquid is heated in a secondary circuit and pumped through two interior ducts of the turnout heating. Additional measuring instruments evaluate precipitation as well as the air and rail temperatures so that the control system housed in a switch cabinet only engages the complex heating system in the track when the conditions so require.

Another advantage is that the heating can be adapted to any renewable source of energy through a heat exchanger. This way, the energy costs can be reduced by as much as 85 per cent compared with traditional heating panels and rods fitted on the outside of the turnouts.

Contact data:

Press team Vossloh AG
Phone (+49-2392) 52-608
Email: presse@vossloh.com

The Smart Rail Track by Vossloh
As specialist and value creating partner for rail infrastructure, Vossloh will be showcasing its products and services at this year’s InnoTrans under the overarching motto “The Smart Rail Track by Vossloh”. New capabilities in the information and communications technologies and the targeted deployment of sensor and IoT technologies open up new avenues towards the objective of the smart track. Also novel materials and optimized designs of the track components are part of the new Vossloh world.