Successful installation of two Embedded Rail test tracks

Underfloor track rods and angle brackets were installed on the track section in Düsseldorf in 2012. Concrete and asphalt were used as roofing, the joint was realised with PUR grouting. The client was the Rheinbahn AG. The accompanying vibration and subsidence measurements in Düsseldorf - carried out in 2012 by I.B.U. Ingenieurbüro für Schwingungs-, Schall- und Schienenverkehrstechnik GmbH - met the expectations and thus corresponded to the forecast values from the calculations. "Due to its simplified design, the embedded rail system was seamlessly integrated into the usual construction process. The measurements carried out have confirmed the computational forecast", says Dipl.-Ing. Peter Ahrens, Head of the Track Department at Rheinbahn AG.

In 2013, Getzner then completed a further test section for Nürnberger Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (VAG). The system was implemented using bi-block sleepers and hold-down devices. Here, too, the covering consisted of concrete and asphalt, and the joint was made with bitumen. "The pre-assembly of the system into finished track yokes at the depot accelerated the construction process. The gap closure on the construction site was carried out quickly and handling on site proved to be easy", says Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Christoph Böhm, Head of Mechanical Systems at Nürnberger Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (VAG).

The feedback on the construction process was extremely positive, both from the local transport companies and from the construction companies involved. Another installation is scheduled for August 2013 in Germany, this time with an optimised underfloor track rod and again under the metrological supervision of an independent engineering office. Further major projects outside Germany are already being planned for 2013 and 2014.