Between Herrljunga and Borås, the Swedish Transport Administration has 43 kilometres of railway referred to as “System M”. The tracks are to be replaced and the ballast cleaned along this entire stretch. Railcare began the work in 2020 and has continued in 2021. Here, Anders Magnusson and Piere Högberg from the Swedish Transport Administration tell us more about the project.
Most of the project will be carried out during a complete closure of the line in the autumn of 2021. The intermediate Ljung and Fristad sites, as well as the Borgstena line site will be completely demolished. Both tracks and switches are to be replaced and, with remote blocking also being introduced, including the widespread installation of computerised switching gear.
Anders Magnusson, sub-project manager for signalling at the Swedish Transport Administration says:
Ahead of the main contract and to minimise risks in implementation, the Swedish Transport Administration chose to use Railcare for the preparatory work. This has involved the lowering of existing cables, laying of new, intermediate-site (copper) cables and a new multi-duct (plastic pipe) for drawing micro fibre.
Minimal disruption to work
Railcare’s working methods are non-intrusive, allowing work to be performed at night, as the track is not used for traffic, entailing minimal risk of disruption to operations.
Most of the cable lowering and laying could therefore take place without affecting the track stability, says Anders. This project has also involved new tasks and training initiatives for Railcare, as their normal commitment was expanded with both intermediate-site cable and multi-duct, he continues. Here, too, we were met by a true spirit of cooperation, which worked extremely well for both parties.
Continuous checks and qualitative data
Piere Högberg, sub-project manager at the Swedish Transport Administration, has also been involved in the project.
We have been able to take advantage of Railcare’s extensive experience of cable lowering. They have been solution-oriented and continuously submitted proposals that we have discussed and on which we have taken a position. The data has been qualitative with accurate forecasts, making our internal planning and budgeting working smoother and increasing its accuracy, says Piere.
Anders Magnusson sums up the preparatory work by saying
With excellent implementation, we now have a well-prepared and documented facility, ready for the upcoming contract. Some additional cable lowering remains in locations not accessible during the first stage. These preparations are being performed this spring and have been entrusted to Railcare.
This is an article from the 2021 Railcarenews.
To read the magazine in its entirety, click here >>
