Long-term test of rail pads on a heavy traffic route

The superstructure is under great stress on heavy traffic routes. Individual components are increasingly being damaged as a result. MRS Logistica S.A.in Brazil commissioned Getzner to develop a solution to reduce the maintenance costs for a heavy traffic route. The objective was to increase the availability of the route while minimising maintenance costs – without interfering too much in the superstructure system.

The challenge

High loads and a lack of elasticity
Frequent rail and tension clamp breakages
Increased wear in other superstructure components
High maintenance costs
Recurrent periods of closure

The Getzner solution

«Installing rail pads is the easiest way of adding elasticity to the track superstructure without having to replace all the ballast. The ballast on the test track in Brazil has been destroyed or extremely compressed, with the result that there is no elasticity at all in the entire superstructure. Our rail pads compensate for this lack of elasticity.» Joao Marcos, Project Manager at Getzner

Heavy-haul railway line with a ballast bed, surrounded by green hills.

Advantages for MRS Logistica S.A.

More elasticity for a heavy traffic route where axle loads exceed 33 metric tons
High-strength rail pads made of Sylodyn® significantly reduce wear
Rail pads withstand the extreme loads
Significantly less wear
Less maintenance work and lower costs
Increased availability and profitability
Proven durability

Modifying the stiffness enables the maintenance costs for a section of track to be considerably reduced. Getzner offers various solutions to this end. On the MRS track, the Getzner materials provide the superstructure with the required level of elasticity. In addition, it is clear that the rail pads do an exceptional job of withstanding the extremely high loads.