Results of the first long-term rail pad test on a heavy traffic route are clear: higher availability and lower costs – new case study

07.07.15

On a heavy traffic route in Brazil, Getzner has for the first time been able to test the effect of Sylodyn® rail pads over a three-year period. The results were so impressive that even the manufacturer was taken aback: since the Sylodyn® rail pads were installed in 2011 there has not been a single incidence of rail breakage. Serious damage that heavily impacts on the profitability of the line have become a thing of the past. The rail pads themselves did not exhibit any signs of wear.

Holding up to 400 million metric tons

With trains roughly two km long - and with axle loads of up to 33 metric tons - the heavy traffic route is an arterial link between Brazil's eastern coast and the country's interior. A total load of 400 million metric tons traversed the railway line during the three-year test, which roughly equates to the ten-year figure for a heavily used route in the German rail network. The considerable wear endured by the superstructure components resulted in high maintenance costs and reduced the availability of the 1674 km line.

Quicker, more effective impact on the superstructure

"It is clear that the rail pads do an exceptional job of withstanding the extremely high loads. By altering the stiffness of the track, the maintenance costs for a railway line can be slashed," emphasises Antonio Merheb, head of engineering at the rail operator MRS Logistica S.A. As a further benefit, the rail pads can be installed or retrofitted quickly and easily.