DB extends contract with Vossloh for 12,000 km rail grinding

DB Network and Vossloh have agreed to a significant expansion of the existing railroad preventive maintenance deal, reports Railway Supply citing RailTech.

Railway preventive maintenance efforts will focus on the so-called high-performance network, i.e. the most heavily used lines in Germany. Vossloh will deploy an HSG smart train that can register track status during grinding. Vossloh HSG machines can operate at speeds up to 80 km/h on main lines and up to 60 km/h on city lines, which is significantly faster than traditional machines.

Grinding can be adapted to track conditions in near real time, eliminating the need for additional track closures. The regular use of HSG intelligent machines not only effectively prevents rail defects and significantly extends their service life, but also creates the basis for predictive track maintenance as the track condition database grows. They are collected in real time, evaluated using algorithms, and then visualized in a web application to provide specific recommendations for any action that needs to be taken.

The Hungarian Railway has previously coordinated the running of wagons with the replacement of bogies

DB recently announced that by the end of 2030 it will be expanding its high-capacity network, which currently includes 3,500 km of routes, to 9,000 km of routes, so HSG technology will be in demand more than ever.

“With this consistent use of HSG technology, DB Network is underlining its claim to meet the increasing loads on the network with innovative solutions,” says member of the management board of DB Network responsible for asset and maintenance management, Dr Volker Hentschel. “On our high-performance network, the traffic-friendly rail maintenance provided by HSG will make a valuable contribution to greater reliability and growth.”

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