Schlüchterner Tunnel upgraded with GETRAC® A3

A further tunnel contract for RAIL.ONE

* Already the fifth tunnel in succession with GETRAC® A3.

* Order for 14,000 GETRAC® A3 sleepers.

Neumarkt, 19. August 2008 – An important milestone has been reached for attainment by GETRAC® A3 of the “standard-design” (Regelbauart) classification for tunnel upgrading in the Deutsche Bahn AG network: RAIL.ONE Group has won contracts for delivery of ballastless track for the new Schlüchterner Tunnel tube in Germany, as well as for upgrading of the existing tunnel tube at the same location in Sinntal-Sannerz, in eastern Hesse, Germany. Now – after similar contracts for the Kehretunnel (2001), the Heiligenberg Tunnel (2001 - 2002), the Esslingerberg Tunnel (2004), and the Brandleite Tunnel (2005) – the Schlüchtener Tunnel marks the fifth tunnel in succession to be equipped with the GETRAC® A3 system. RAIL.ONE will produce over 14,000 wide concrete sleepers for the Schlüchtener project. In addition, the Neumarkt concrete-sleeper plant will for the first time also manufacture the anchor blocks required for such a project. As a result, RAIL.ONE will deliver all components for the GETRAC® A3 ballastless system, on a one-stop basis, thereby guaranteeing maximum quality and operational safety and reliability.

The Schlüchterner Tunnel
The Schlüchterner railway tunnel, until now double-track in one tube, is on the line between Hanau and Fulda. It was opened in 1914 and is 3,576 metres long: the second-longest tunnel in the old network of Deutsche Bahn. With an average of approximately 270 trains per day, the line is one of the busiest train routes in Germany, with its important connections from Frankfurt am Main to Hamburg and Berlin. As a result of the condition of the structural components of the tunnel, and owing to new tunnel regulations, the decision was made to comprehensively upgrade the tunnel and to build a second tunnel tube.
Beginning in mid-2009, planning is for train traffic to be routed initially on a dual-track basis through the new tunnel tube, while the old tube is being restored and adapted to the new safety stipulations. When work is completed, traffic will be routed on single tracks through each of the tubes, with the rest of the runnel area to be used for rescue access. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2013. 

The GETRAC® A3 ballastless track system
GETRAC® A3 is a ballastless track system with direct support of wide concrete sleepers on a multi-layer asphalt course. Special anchor blocks fix the concrete sleepers to the supporting layer below, to provide a high degree of positional security of the track panel. The system is characterized by long-lasting stability of track position, which guarantees high quality, safety, and availability over the long term. The wide sleepers, inherently part of the system, additionally reduce track structural height and the loads applied to the track substructure.

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.