RHEDA 2000® approved and certified according to European Council Directive for TSI

First European Quality System Verification by Lloyd’s Register 

Zoetermeer and Neumarkt, Germany, 23 February 2006 – Rheda2000 vof, a joint venture by the three partners BAM Rail BV, BAM Civiel BV, and Pfleiderer track systems B.V., has been awarded the first European Quality System Verification provided by Lloyd’s Register in accordance with European Council Directive 96/48/ EC dated 23 July 1996. This directive governs the interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail system. EC Conformity Assessment has been performed with application of Module SH2 of the relevant TSI adopted pursuant to the directive. Assessment results approve the quality management system as compliant for the subsystem HSL-South Infrastructure Superstructure, Southern Section.

As part of the project for the Dutch high-speed line HSL ZUID – one of the largest European Public-Private Partnership projects for railway infrastructure – Rheda2000 vof was subcontracted by the EPC consortium Infraspeed to design, engineer, procure material for, and construct the rail system infrastructure on the basis of the German ballastless track system RHEDA 2000®, supplied by Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik GmbH & Co. KG, to include high-speed turnouts on ballastless track, installation of track systems, as well as provision of the long rails.

The RHEDA 2000® system has been adapted to specific Dutch requirements and is used within the HSL project for approx. 93% of the total track running from Amsterdam-Schiphol to Rotterdam, and from Rotterdam to the Belgium border. The European Quality System Verification applies to the Southern Section, while the Northern Section is still under construction. RHEDA 2000® is almost entirely built on engineering structures such as settlement-free plates, bridges, viaducts and tunnels, as well as sections with hydraulically bonded embankments.

“We are proud to have received the first European Quality System Verification by Lloyd’s Register to be awarded until now for railway infrastructure technology on a European level. This milestone is of great importance: not only for the project as it moves toward the Certificate of Availability, but also for the ongoing advancement of project organisation in Rheda2000 vof. It underscores the very high standard of quality assurance achieved during all project phases by the project organisation. And it confirms the top technical standard realised by the RHEDA 2000® ballastless track system, in its successful compliance with the European Council Directive for the trans-European high-speed rail system,” said Theo Winter, Project Manager of the Rheda2000 vof and representative of the Royal BAM Group in the joint venture.

“With this approval, the RHEDA 2000® ballastless track system is the first high-speed rail-line infrastructure component to be certified for interoperability on the European level. This achievement highlights the innovative role played by Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik as global supplier of leading-edge railtrack technology,” said Detlef Obieray, Deputy Project Manager of Rheda2000 vof and representative of Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik in the joint venture.

By enabling this success for the major part of the track work within the HSL ZUID project, this milestone assures the next steps of the EPC consortium Infraspeed toward obtaining the Certificate of Availability for the Southern Section, and is a highly encouraging sign that the Certificate will be satisfactorily achieved for the Northern Section as well.

About the PCM RAILONE Group

The PCM RAILONE Group has been manufacturing concrete sleepers and track systems for urban transit and long-distance rail transportation for over 60 years. The technology leader also offers its expertise in the fields of engineering and plant construction. Its customer-driven innovations fulfill the highest quality standards and are installed around the world

The PCM RAILONE Group is comprised of several companies and eleven production facilities with a presence in Germany, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Korea, Hungary, Turkey, the United States, Canada and lndia. lt maintains annual capacities of over 5 million track sleepers and 840,000 linear meters of turnout sleepers. RAILONE produces optimized products and custom solutions with over 550 employees around the world.

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