Increasing the lifespan of heavy haul lines in Scandinavia

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Credit: Getzner.
Credit: Getzner.
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Austrian firm Getzner has developed a range of new rail products to increase the service life of heavy freight in Scandinavia to even higher loads.

With increasing demands on the rail network, the vibration isolation specialists have developed mass-spring systems, under ballast mats and its “showpiece”, highly elastic sleeper pads.

Getzner said that the reduction in the life cycle cost of rail infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. For example, transporting more tonnage causes more problems, such as destroyed ballast and broken tension clamps, which in turn restricts track availability and shortens the service life of the superstructure.


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Getzner’s sleeper pads increase the area of contact with the ballast by up to 30 per cent, protecting the ballast and thereby minimising its destruction. This reduces maintenance costs and increases the service life.

Getzner head of product management Stefan Potocan said: “Our sleeper pads can counteract these negative effects and increase the availability of tracks that are subject to high levels of traffic.”

The sleeper pads have already been installed on a 12km section of the Iron Ore line in Norrbotten County, Sweden.


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