Case Study for Berlin-Cottbus sleeper pad project

26.03.12

Getzner presents new Case Study for major project on the Berlin-Cottbus railway line. To improve running times, Deutsche Bahn (DB) is upgrading the very busy line between Berlin and Cottbus to the south of the city. Getzner has developed a PU sleeper pad with effective acoustic damping to provide protection against vibration.

Concrete sleepers with vibration-insulating sleeper bases were installed over a distance of 60 kilometers. This vibration solution efficiently protects structures close to the track from vibrations - despite increased travel speeds. "Berlin-Cottbus is the world's largest railway project to date using sleeper soling for vibration protection. A total of around 52,000 mainline sleepers and 17 switches have been given soling made of our material," says Christian Dullinger, Project Manager Railway Division at Getzner's Grünwald site near Munich, emphasizing the importance of this major project.

Product development in close cooperation

For the Berlin-Cottbus line, Getzner developed a special polyurethane sleeper sole with acoustic effectiveness in close cooperation with DB. Getzner had these tested intensively at the TU Munich. As a specialist for vibration insulation, Getzner was thus able to offer a sophisticated and highly resilient solution: The line, which was previously designed for a maximum speed of 120 km/h, can now be travelled at up to 160 km/h since the completion of the construction work - without any additional impact from vibrations or noise.