More Elasticity for the Heavy Haul Malmbanan Line

Particularly in heavy haul, ballasted track often reaches its limits. High axle loads and freight tonnage directly place a disproportionately high strain on the track. For this reason the Swedish operator Trafikverket opted to install under sleeper pads in 2014.

The challenge

Axle load of 30 t
High frequency, high tonnage
Heavy haul trains with up to 68 wagons
Weighing roughly 8,500 metric tons
Above-average amounts of wear on high-grade rail steels and sleepers

The Getzner solution

Trafikverket knew that under sleeper pads help significantly to protect the ballast. But no-one had ever tested whether this solution would work as efficiently and on this scale north of the arctic circle before. The ideal load distribution within the track was required. This was the goal behind the attempt to reduce the stress between ballast and sleeper by enlarging the area of contact between the sleeper and the ballast. Under sleeper pads, such as those offered by Getzner, are perfect for such a scenario.