Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Vossloh are to intensify their cooperation in the field of preventive rail maintenance. Building on their partnership, Vossloh's High-Speed Grinding (HSG) technology will be used to extend the maintenance of DB's high-performance rail network to at least 13,000 kilometers of the track by 2024. The initiative is designed to eliminate rail defects and extend the life of critical rail infrastructure.
Priority will be given to the busiest sections of the German rail network, the so-called high-performance network. Beyond physical maintenance, DB Netz AG has also contracted Vossloh to provide comprehensive digital measurement and analysis tools. This technology enables real-time data collection and evaluation during rail grinding activities, facilitating data-driven decision-making and actionable insights. It represents a shift from time-based to condition-based maintenance, thus increasing the overall efficiency of rail maintenance processes.
The HSG technology developed by Vossloh allows operating speeds in excess of 80 km/h on mainline tracks, enabling rail maintenance activities to be carried out alongside regular freight and passenger services. This eliminates the need for track closures and minimizes disruptions to rail traffic. In addition, the grinding program can be tailored to the specific condition of each track section, optimizing the rail cross-section to improve safety and performance.
“We expect passenger and freight traffic volumes to continue to rise in the coming years, and we are constantly upgrading our network in response. The size of the German high-performance network will almost triple to over 9,200 kilometers by 2030. By means of prevention using HSG technology, for instance, we will further increase the reliability of our network,” commented Heike Junge-Latz, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Plant and Maintenance Management at DB Netz AG.
