Winter Operations

SUPPLEMENT

Winter preparations for

the Swedish railways
Stefan Jonsson, Spokesman for
Railway Winter Services, Trafikverket

Hope for the best

but plan for the worst
Martin Beable, Fleet Engineering and Asset Manager,
London Overground Rail Operations Limited

10 Helping to improve
GB rail winter operations
Jane Dobson, Head of the Delivery,
Research and Standards Department,
Rail Safety and Standards Board

13 Zaugg snow blower for the

Swedish iron ore railway
Amy Johansson / Shutterstock.com

ZAUGG AG EGGIWIL

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SUPPLEMENT

Winter preparations for

the Swedish railways
Trafikverket the Swedish Transport Administration is prioritising winter maintenance so that rail transport runs
punctually, even during harsh conditions. For European Railway Review, Trafikverkets Spokesman for Railway
Winter Services, Stefan Jonsson, explains there needs to be a high level of preparedness and knowledge to be
able to handle the effects of the weather on the railways throughout the country.
Trafikverket is responsible for the long-term planning of the trans-

economic viability may apply for schedules to provide transport on the

port system for vehicle, rail, sea and air transport as well as for

Swedish railways. At least 30 different rail operators currently provide

the construction, operation and maintenance of the national roads

transport for the Swedish railway network, with 45 having applied for

and railways.

track capacity for 2016. Both regional collective transport authorities

Sweden is one of the countries that have opened up their railways

and larger industries may apply to Trafikverket with their own

to competition. We have gone from a monopoly to open competition

schedulees. As the infrastructure manager, Trafikverket then allocates

through re- and de-regulations. Trafikverket has overall responsibility for

train paths to the different rail operators.

the rail infrastructure. We own a few snow blowers but in general we

have no resources of our own for maintenance works. The authority is

Risk factors

purely a contracting organisation and hires external contractors for all

Snow and cold temperatures are the main factors that make rail

works on the tracks.

transport difficult in winter.

All rail companies that fulfil the requirements for safety and

In northern Sweden, snow and wintry weather usually appear as

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WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
early as mid-October. In Stockholm, there may be winter conditions

Strong wind

at the beginning of December and in southern Sweden from the start of

Extreme cold

the New Year. But there are, of course, great variations in the weather

Significant amounts of snow on large expanses of land

from year-to-year.

Snow coverage throughout the country.

Trafikverket, contractors and rail operators in Sweden are

cooperating effectively to reduce disruptions caused by the winter

Management and direction

weather. Disruption plans are in place, but if we get a severe winter with

Detailed snow removal plans play a pivotal role in the winter works.

a lot of snow and cold temperatures throughout Sweden, it may still be

A constant issue is how the resources should be distributed when the

difficult to cope.

bad weather hits Sweden. One option is to move several resources to

Trafikverket acquires weather forecasts and warnings from the

one place, but that, of course, takes time.

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and

There is a nationwide management structure within the trans-

sub-orders resources based on these. We mobilise resources at an early

port management, which means that Trafikverket, contractors

stage rather than wait for the snow to fall.

and rail operators can, with sustained effort, operate with en-

In the countryside around the

hanced cooperation.

stersjn Lake, the winter weather can be

extreme. If the stersjn is ice-free and

The following points are prioritised in order to achieve optimal

Detailed snow
removal plans play a
pivotal role in the
winter works

winter maintenance:

Continuous feedback of experiences

Consolidation meetings with operators and contractors

Project Leader in state of constant preparedness

slopes. An extreme example is December

Agreements with contractors for rapid error rectification

1998, when a snow storm resulted in the

Snow removal plans for goods railway depots

loss of all communications in Gvle (170km

Increased monitoring of supplies

north of Stockholm). For three days the

Daily production meetings for railways.

there is a north-northwest wind, the winds

can take up a lot of moisture. The effect is
similar to that of artificial snow on ski

depth of the snow increased from 1cm to 131cm. Another example of

extreme weather was in Krsta (only 25km north of Stockholm) where a

Reduction of rail timetables

temperature of -38.6 Celsius was recorded on 7 January 1987.

To reduce the risk of trains standing on the tracks, for example during

In planning for winter preparedness, Trafikverket focuses on the

heavy snowfall, Trafikverket may decide to reduce the level of transport

following five risk factors:

which means some trains are discontinued to allow others to run. The

Class 2 warning from the SMHI, with large amounts of snow (Class

reason we reduce the transport is for us to be able to carry out

1: low risk; Class 2: moderate risk; Class 3: extreme weather, high

additional maintenance measures in the event of, for example, storms,

level of risk)

high water levels and heavy snowfall. This can involve removing fallen
trees, clearing snow, repairing overhead
contact lines that have been brought down in a
storm, etc.

Credit: Yngve Handspik

The objective is for trains to continue to

run, fewer in number but where possible with
more carriages.
So-called reduction plans are developed in
close dialogue with the rail operators. Drawingup plans in advance to determine which trains
may be discontinued in different situations
makes it easier for both Trafikverket and
the rail operators to plan the transport
and provide travellers with information and
alternative routes.

Works
Great care is taken to ensure that the
switches function properly, even in severe
winter weather. Special snow removal zones
have been arranged to enable the switches
to function.
During heavy snowfall there will be a
different approach to using the switches.
The Snow Removal 700 can remove snow from 700m of track in 20 minutes

Many cross switches, which normally enable

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WINTER OPERATIONS
the tracks to be switched outside on the tracks,
will be locked in the straight position. Fewer
than 100 prioritised switches have been
selected and optimised for winter. These have

Credit: Yngve Handspik

SUPPLEMENT

been provided with brushes, ploughs and

wedges. Brace pits and links have been coated
with plywood and fitted with heating coils.
Stockholm Central Station, which is
important for a large proportion of the
transport, will have a relatively large number of
tracks in operation while there will be serious
reductions elsewhere.
With a Class 2 warning, work teams will
be working double-shifts with the aim of
responding quickly to clear prioritised switches
of snow. There will be occasional standstills, in
the worst cases for 20 minutes, while the snow
is cleared followed alternately by 20 minutes to
allow the traffic to run.
A great number of switches are supplied
with heating coils. There is now new technology
that can sense what the weather is like locally
and supply heat to the switches depending on
the weather. In addition to monitoring the
temperature in a switch heating chamber,
the same system also enables computers to

The brushes on the Snow Removal 700 extend over 5m in width. The snow is sucked into the
machine and melts

identify and localise faults in individual switches. The most import-

surface area free of snow so that rail traffic is not hindered. Dealing with

ant actions to take ahead of the winter season with regard to the

the snow only once saves a huge amount of time. With this in mind, an

switches are:

enormous snow melter has been devised.

Monitoring the switch heat

Protection from snow in the switches

oped a combined snow removal and snow

Camera surveillance of critical switches

melting machine for railway depots as early

Keeping the tarmac areas clear and cleaning underneath

the switches.

Resources
Trafikverket can employ around 1,500 people and 300 vehicles for
winter maintenance. In addition, we can demand that contractors

The Swedish company Railcare devel-

Great care
is taken to ensure
that the switches
function properly,
even in severe
winter weather

as in 2011. Together with Trafikverket, the

company has now launched two new snow
removal machines. These are developed
versions of the rail-mounted snow melting
machine Snow Removal 700, combined with
an entirely new snow plough, SR 200, which

redistribute their resources, if this is required. The following large

in fact has two ploughs, one at either end

special vehicles for snow removal are available:

of the carriage.

1 SR 300 medium-sized snow-melting machine/switch cleaning

2 SR100 smaller snow melters, designed for the removal of ice from

wide, i.e. including the walking surfaces required by the switching

vehicles (Gothenburg and Stockholm)

personnel. The snow is then melted down to approximately 10% of the

2 SR 200 snow ploughs (Stockholm and Hallsberg)

original volume. After two or three rounds, the water is emptied out.

machine (Stockholm)

The SR 700 takes just 20 minutes to

remove snow from 700m of track, over 5m-

1 Snow Removal 700

2 SR 700 snow removal machines (Stockholm and Hallsberg)

centre of the track. Their purpose is to sweep snow in towards

New this year: a rail-mounted snow blower, which has been

the centre. A main brush sweeps up the snow that is sucked into the

acquired for the Malmbanan (Kiruna-Narvik). It arrives in Kiruna at

machines first carriage, where the snow collects in a melting vat with

the end of November 2015 and will be tested during the winter

water that is heated by a diesel-driven boiler with a capacity of

2015/2016.

12 megawatts. The snow then melts to water which is pumped over to

The two side brushes extend 2.5m in both directions from the

a large tank in the next carriage.

At a large depot, a snow depth of 69cm (which is not uncommon) may

Impurities in the snow are collected in a trap which can be emptied

mean there is up to a million cubic metres of snow on site. It requires

later and taken to a waste disposal facility. The melted water is

huge resources and the right working method to be able to keep the

emptied into drains or gullies on the site of the depot.

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WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
The SR 200 enables ploughing in both directions without turning
the carriage around. It is driven by a locomotive, which is available.

not as much space for large amounts of snow at the sides as there is out
on the tracks.

The SR 200 has a very special plough blade, which is divided into four

A common instrument for cleaning switches is a snow broom, which

sections (a total of 8.3m-wide). These can be adjusted and

may resemble a work vehicle, such as a locomotive or rail excavator,

raised/lowered to different levels for very precise and effective snow

with a large broom mounted at the front. Switches may also need to be

removal, and can even be formed into a

cleaned manually with a hand tool so that sensitive materials in the track

hopper that projects the snow ahead of it,

or switch are not damaged.

which in turn means that the snow can be

loaded and disposed of safely without
having to close off large parts of the track
area. The SR 200 is designed for stations
and smaller depots. Together, these
machines help to keep the snow away

Its better to
have a small number
of trains running
than a lot of trains
standing still

from the tracks.

Overall strategy
By reducing the number of trains on the tracks in the event of heavy
snowfall, we are freeing-up space for the people and machines that
remove snow. We make sure that specific sections of the track are
completely cleared of snow, which means that trains can reach their
destinations. Its better to have a small number of trains running than a

The TB locomotive is a heavy-duty

lot of trains standing still. This is a working method we have devised

diesel-electric locomotive with a robust

with the rail operators in advance. The focus is on cooperation in

engine that is able to plough through

order to do the best we can for travellers in extreme winter conditions.

large, heavy snow masses and ice. It has very wide plough blades

For example, well be able to inform travellers more quickly since

capable of clearing three tracks at the same time, which makes it

reduced train timetables are already in place. The public will be

extremely useful and effective, for example, at a railway depot.

advised of the situation in good time, and will be able to make their own

Like the TB, the TC locomotive is a locomotive for ploughing snow,

travel plan decisions.

but it is not as powerful. On the other hand, it is easier to handle and is

more flexible in that the plough blade can be replaced and used for
other purposes. It is used mainly outside on the tracks.
A snow sucker functions like a snow blower: the snow is
sucked in and projected out at the side of the track. By means
of wheel loaders, snow can be lifted onto snow carriages for
removal. This can be done, for example, at a depot where there is

Stefan Jonsson is Trafikverkets Spokesman for Railway

Winter Services and is also the Senior Project Leader
with staffing functions within the Nationell Lever anssamordning (National Supply Coordination Division).

WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT

Hope for the best but

plan for the worst
London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL) operates the Overground service in London on behalf of
Transport for London (TfL), running five different fleet types. As LOROLs Fleet Engineering and Asset Manager
Martin Beable explains, winter preparation is vital, especially for an operator with a diverse portfolio of rolling
stock, and that learning from lessons of previous winters have established core principles that LOROL follows.
The American travel writer, Paul Theroux once wrote that winter is a

dual voltage EMUs alongside Class 172 DMUs, with fleet ages ranging

season of recovery and preparation. Despite embarking on one of the

from six years to 35 years old. As a metro service in and around London,

most famous railway journeys ever consigned to the written word,

top speeds are restrained, but the duty cycle is high with in excess of

this sentence proves that Mr Therouxs relationship with the railway has

20,000 door operations per day across the fleet. The winter mitigations

never extended to running one.

we practice vary hugely between fleets and routes and build on the

Winter presents challenges across all transport modes, none more

so than ours and preparation in the preceding seasons is the key.

many years of lessons learned and in the case of the newer fleets
lessons incorporated in vehicle design.

With a diverse portfolio of rolling stock, routes, and operating

patterns throughout the railway, there is no one size fits all solution

Core principles

to prepare for low temperatures, ice and snow. Even within

There are two key tenets of good winter preparedness. Firstly, it is an

individual train operating companies the approach varies dependant

iterative process which should be refined year-on-year, learning from

on a number of factors.

previous experience and the best-practice of others. Secondly, and

LOROL operates five different fleet types, consisting of AC, DC and

most importantly, we as an industry should never rest on the laurels of a

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WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
successfully navigated winter. The moment we
do, the results will make the front pages when
our next record winter arrives.
From a fleet management perspective,
winter planning can be effectively divided into
three forms of mitigation. In order of preference they are:

Technical design solutions on trains

to improve their ability to cope with
winter weather

Changes to maintenance activities and

processes, such as:

Additional routine activities carried out

specifically during winter (ideally bolted
on to existing exams)

Discrete activities carried out when the

temperature reaches a certain level or
there is snowfall

A change to operating practices.

Different rolling stock maintenance activities and plans is important for preparing for winter

The appropriate mitigation(s) to any winter-related problem will depend

significant changes to maintenance processes or operation in service.

upon case-specific information, ranging from the severity of the

The fleet have an Ice Mode which compensates for expected supply

problem to the remaining life of the fleet. One thing, however, is always

spikes due to arcing on icy conductor rails, ensuring that the train is

true the most effective solutions are tailored to the individual

expecting adverse conditions. The decision to apply Ice Mode is made

operation and weaknesses of the fleet.

by our Control Team based on incumbent conditions and weather

forecast for the day, and communicated to the driver team, who enact

Traction and couplers

on unit set-up. Should the driver err, or forget to turn it on, the train will

The LOROL core fleet is Bombardier-built Class 378 units. Introduced

automatically remind them when the temperature falls to -2C.

from 2009 onwards, this mixed DC-only and dual voltage fleet has been

Approximately a quarter of the fleet is also fitted with third rail

designed to cope with low temperatures, limiting the requirement for

de-icers, applying a litre per mile of de-icing solution to the third

rail head directly through the shoegear. Whilst
this has been successful in previous years, we
continue to look to improve. Working with our
suppliers, we have identified a more viscous
de-icing product to increase adherence to the
third rail head. We will be modifying the fleet
for Winter 2016/17 to accept the higher
viscosity de-icer, predominantly increasing pipe
bores to maintain existing flow-rates.
Bombardier is also undertaking feasibility
studies on our behalf to fit sleet brushes, to
clear snow and sleet from the current rail when
snowfall has been high.
The limited preparation required on our
Class 378 is in stark contrast to the management of our older AC traction EMU fleet the
Class 315 and Class 317 units. The Class 317
fleet specifically has been very susceptible to
snow incursion into the traction motors. The air
intake arrangement for these traction motors
has already had in excess of 10 iterations
roughly a change every three years during its
life. The fleet was once so badly affected by
snow that the damage caused was still being

LOROL operates five different fleet types and each has to go through its winter preparation checks

managed in-service on some trains by end of

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WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
the following summer. In instances like this,
a pragmatic approach is required. Limiting
speed drastically reduces snow incursion,
and as such, LOROL has devised an
emergency snow timetable for the routes
on which these trains operate, with lower
speed running. This presented a secondary
opportunity. The Class 317 and Class 315
fleets routinely operate diagrams with
high levels of coupling and uncoupling
before and after peaks. Ice build-up on
couplers, and snow dropping into electrical
boxes whilst coupling is a risk for all units
that split/join. Our emergency timetable
consists of fixed formation units, meaning
no coupling is carried out unless under
controlled conditions at the start of the
day. A constrained but reliable service is in
preference to an unreliable attempt at
delivery of a normal service. Whilst it is not
ideal, we see service management as a
pragmatic solution to a complex problem.

Doors

Different components of rolling stock have to be checked before, during and after the winter months

The modern KBRS door system fitted to the Class 378 and Class 172

that enemy of engineers across the world personal preference.

fleets along with the very high metro duty cycle means that they

LOROLs more modern fleets can be interrogated remotely to confirm

require little specific preparation for winter, with the exception of a light

whether passenger complaints are valid. This is a technology that is

graphite lubrication of the nosing rubbers of the Class 172 fleet to

difficult to replicate on the older fleet without significant investment,

prevent sticking in freezing temperatures.

and as such they have been retro-fitted with a more novel solution a

A similar lubrication of the door rubbers on the older EMU fleet is

added to their light maintenance regimes for winter, but these fleets

digital thermometer and USB download point on each coach, to easily

check on heating performance if/when complaints are made.

require further mitigation against ice and snow.

Historically, de-icer has been used across the industry as a measure

The future

to combat ice build-up after the event. Over recent years, however,

On a company basis, LOROL holds seasonal reviews of performance

there has been an industry-wide move towards preventative measures.

and trends, identifying actions and monitoring progress through

On both Class 315 and Class 317 fleets, this includes application of a

internal Performance Improvement Groups. This helps to hone

pre-icer solution to the door tread-plates to prevent ice adhering to

plans, but we are not only introspective. Whilst the UK railway has

the surfaces and hindering smooth operation of the doors. This activity

devolved fleet maintenance to a TOC-by-TOC basis, the industry has a

is carried out on a nightly basis when temperatures are expected to

broad support network for fleet engineering teams. The RSSB

drop below freezing.

website is a fantastic source of best-practice with regard to research

papers into cross-industry problems. Equally, performance forums such

Operation

as ATOCs ReFocus allow for sharing of best-practice between

During expected freezing temperatures, LOROL tweaks its operation

operators, so that winter performance plans can be developed further

through Control-led decisions. These include leaving DMUs running

for the winters to come.

throughout the night to ensure diesel fuel doesnt wax and steam

As I child, I grew up wanting snowfall in winter. However, as a

cleaning of snow from underframe components. Managing this

railwayman, I have grown to hope that all seasons are just tepid.

effectively is based on having a clear, coherent strategy dependant on

And as a realist, I know the rail industry must hope for the best but plan

temperature and weather forecast, which is communicated to all of the

for the worst.

key maintenance management staff.

Focussed resource
Winter is a severe resource drain, it is imperative, therefore, that all
resource is focussed in the correct places. Passenger feedback on
heating means operators are beset by complaints of trains that are too

Martin Beable is Fleet Engineering and Asset Manager

for London Overground Rail Operations Ltd (LOROL).
Leading a small team, Martin is responsible for delivery of
third-party contracted maintenance and engineering
compliance across a fleet of over 400 vehicles.

hot or too cold. Whilst some of these are genuine, others are caused by

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WINTER OPERATIONS
Steve Mann / Shutterstock.com

SUPPLEMENT

Helping to improve GB
rail winter operations
The members of the UKs RSSB (the Rail Safety and Standards Board) include infrastructure companies, train and
freight operators, rolling stock owners and suppliers to the industry. Head of the Delivery, Research
and Standards Department at the RSSB Jane Dobson tells European Railway Review what the organisation are
doing to help this industry tackle winter challenges.
Extreme weather events in the last few years have shown that the rail

Climate change impacts

industry has an insufficient understanding of the affect weather has on

It is widely recognised that both mitigation and adaptation to climate

our rail infrastructure. A prime example of this is the Dawlish Sea Wall

change are necessary and should be managed as part of a

incident in February 2014.

complementary process. Many countries, for example Japan and

At Dawlish, the waves breached a sea wall designed to withstand a

severe one in a hundred years storm and resulted its collapse.

Germany, have already created national adaptation plans to tackle

climate change.

An official investigation predicted that by 2080 similar, very

Against this international background, the British Government

severe storms could occur as often as every 14 years, with the

passed the Climate Change Act 2008. One provision of the

incidence of waves breaking over the sea wall increasing by at least

Act required Network Rail to report, in 2010, what activities they

60 times. The findings have raised serious doubts about the lines

were undertaking in order to understand and adapt to future

continued use in the future.

changes in the climate.

In addition to climate change, seasonal occurrences such as leaves

Beyond the climate change issue, the UK Department

on the line, ice and frost, happen year-on-year, causing major disruption

for Transport (DfT) estimates the welfare cost of transport disruption

throughout the network and to passengers.

from severe winter weather to be circa 280 million per day in England1.

To overcome this, the rail industry needs to know how it

While there will be reductions in snow days across the UK, cold weather

will perform in the current and future climate to achieve a highly

events will still occur year-on-year, including those recent winter

reliable railway, increased capacity, value for money and a predict and

conditions we have been facing.

prevent ethos.

It doesnt take a rail engineer to understand that low temperatures

The British railway system prides itself on having a thirst for

plus snow and ice impacts the whole railway system. A 2003 RSSB

knowledge and developing a strong evidence base on which

document estimated that the winter weather months (December to

we identify findings, which help to create appropriate solutions.

February) caused 120,474 delay minutes, representing 10.6% of the

This is where RSSB can play a part.

annual total delay minutes.

10

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WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
For passengers and staff, the main impacts include:

Power, Network Rail and RSSB came together to start a programme of

Increased slips, trips and falls in icy conditions

work under the general banner of Tomorrows Railway and Climate

Impaired decision-making by staff during extended work periods in

Change Adaptation project.

cold temperatures

RSSBs role, on behalf of the rail industry, is to manage research

Disruption to staffing due to dependence on the road network to

programmes in an independent, professional and cost effective way.

get to work in winter conditions.

Rail-related fact-finding and research on climate change issues was first

undertaken by RSSB in 2003 to identify vulnerabilities of the railway to

Slips, trips and falls account for 46.8% of the safety risk to passengers,

current and future weather patterns.

which is also the largest risk to the workforce.

A report into specific sea-level rise impacts on coastal railways

followed in 2008 in collaboration with Network Rail and the

The main impacts of such weather conditions on infrastructure can often

Environment Agency and since 2009, the mainline network has been

be severe and disruptive. These include:

subject to studies on the potential impacts on safety and performance

Rail breaks, cracks and/or associated misalignment problems

of climate change, with assistance from the UK Met Office.

Tree and branch fall onto tracks due to snow loading

Ice falls in tunnels, under bridges and other structures causing

Tomorrows Railway and Climate Change Adaptation project

In early-2015, we published findings from Phase 1 of 2 of the

damage or derailment of trains

which provided us with solid evidence that the milder, wetter

Frost heave of track beds and earthworks

winters and more frequent and intense extreme weather events will

Freeze-thaw damage to concrete sleepers

most certainly affect the resilience of the entire railway system now

Increase risk of earthworks failures due to desiccation.

and in the future.

Phase 1 of the project set out to answer the following three

The severity of these situations was seen in a derailment in the Summit

key questions:

Tunnel during winter 2010. The cause was an ice-build up falling onto

1) How will UK climate and weather change in the future?

tracks which resulted in train and minor track damage with closures

2) What are the impacts of climate change and extreme weather

on the GB railway currently and how might these change over

for 24 hours.

coming decades?

Tomorrows Railway and

Climate Change Adaptation

3) What is the GB rail industry doing to respond and adapt to

the potential impacts of projected climate change and

To support Network Rails response to the Adaptation Reporting

extreme weather?

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Simon Ward

Thierry Guinard

Christoffer Forslind

Head of Safety, Quality & Environment

Safety & Environment Director

Project Manager, Station Safety

SNCF Mass Transit Operations

London Overground Rail Operations

Keolis

MTR Stockholm

Michael Rueffer

Oriol Juncadella i Fortuny

Joe Murphy

Operations Director

Head of Health & Safety Area South

Kay Doyle

FCG Operadora

High Speed Two

Pierre Messulam
Deputy CEO

Head of Operations, Rail

Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt (VGF)

ZZZUDLOVDIHW\SDVVHQJHUJURZWKFRP
+ 44 (0) 800 098 8489 info@london-business-conferences.co.uk

Head of Infrastructure Safety

Iarnrod Eireann

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Organised By:

WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT
During Phase 1 of the project, we surveyed the possible effects of

Warning systems studies undertaken to identify a more

changing weather patterns on Britains railways as part of an industry-

sophisticated advance warning system that could be linked the

wide attempt to assess and mitigate risk by anticipating future

Network Rail meteorological, weather radar work.

challenges. By looking at and addressing these problems now, industry

can plan ahead to consider future changes to its approach to railway
design and operations.

The project has a series of outcomes for industry to implement,

which include:

The Phase 1 research assembled a consortium with a

Continue to use the Rule Book speeds in floods

range of different talents and skills. Organisations involved included

Monitor the relation between water damage to trains and running

Arup, CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information

into floodwater more precisely to understand the extent and costs

Association), JBA Consulting, the Met Office and the University

of Birmingham.

of such incidents

The consortium discovered that higher summer temperatures,

Consider development of real-time floodwater monitoring

at trackside.

changing patterns of rainfall, more frequent and intense extreme

heavy rainfall and storms, higher sea levels and larger storm surges, will

Looking ahead Predictable and

Optimised Braking

affect the resilience of the whole railway system, particularly track

Our Future Railway programme facilitated a Predictable

structures, earthworks and rolling stock.

and Optimised Braking competition, launched in October 2014, and

weather events such as heatwaves or in this instance, cold snaps and

The first phase identified over 120 recommendations

sought novel solutions which can provide increased braking

relating to increasing the resilience of Britains railways and its

performance and reliable braking rates that are independent of

various sub-systems in the short, medium and long-term; with

wheel/rail adhesion. Predictable and optimised braking on the UK rail

10 key recommendations highlighted as priorities following

network will benefit all users by enabling more reliable timetabling

consultation with GB rail experts.

and increase capacity.

The project is coming to a close and Phase 2 findings will be

published in early-2016.

The competition included two phases with the most promising

applications going on to receive funding to further develop and
demonstrate the braking system. Mole Solutions was one of the

Review of the rules for the operation

of trains through flood water

winning entries and was granted funding to carry out a six-month

feasibility study to investigate its proposed solution.

Another RSSB project focusses on the operation of trains through flood

Mole Solutions uses the same technology of magnetic propulsion

water a problem not just restricted to the winter months. The aim of

and braking it has developed for its freight pipeline, which carries

the Review of the rules for the operation of trains through flood water

unmanned capsules safely and securely in enclosed pipes.

project is to better understand the physical phenomena involved in

trains running through flood water.
The research identified that the main origin of potential damage
from flood water on tracks is not aerodynamics, as previously thought,

Subject to a successful feasibility study and further testing, Mole

Solutions could open up a new system of train control whereby offvehicle braking would become an interactive part of the journey
management process.

but contact of the wheels with flood water when trains pass through at

The work we have carried out over the years serves to show that we

high-speed. This is a knowledge gap for which further research is

are building a strong evidence base. This evidence base will then

proposed in the areas of:

enable us to advise industry on how they can best tackle performance

Monitoring monitoring vehicles encountering flood water and

issues during extreme weather events and develop that predict and

consequent water-related damage

prevent ethos, for this and the next generation.

Deflection a short series of observations using the methodology

outlined in this research would address this issue

Further information about these projects can be found via our free,
interactive web tool SPARK2.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) a targeted series of CFD

calculations for a rotating wheel passing through water of various

References

depths at various rotational speeds

1.
2.

About the Rail Safety and

Standards Board (RSSB)
RSSB was established in 2003 after the publication of the Review of Fatal
Accident Inquiry Legislation report by Lord Cullen. We are an expert, notfor-profit organisation which supports the rail industry to improve safety and
performance. We bring organisations together to help deliver clear benefits
to passengers and businesses while providing value to the taxpayer.
Our members include infrastructure companies, train and freight operators,
rolling stock owners and suppliers to the industry.
Website: www.rssb.co.uk
Twitter: @RSSB_rail

12

Department for Transport, DECC and Defra, December 2011

www.sparkrail.org

Jane Dobson studied languages at Oxford Brookes

University, and later in her career did a European Business
Management Diploma at Canterbury Christchurch
University. She joined Eurotunnel in 1986 and played an
active role in the development of road and rail freight
traffic through the Channel Tunnel, and represented
Eurotunnel at the European railway lobbying organisations. After nearly 20 years with Eurotunnel, she moved
into railway consultancy with Interfleet Technology Ltd, working in both
London and India, and most recently she joined RSSB as Head of the
Delivery, Research and Standards Department, and is responsible for
the effective delivery of RSSBs directly managed research projects.

European Railway Review

S U B S C R I B E O N L I N E A T:

VOLUME 21, ISSUE 6, 2015

www.europeanrailwayreview.com

WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT

Zaugg snow blower

for the Swedish
iron ore railway
Approximately 27 million tonnes of iron ore are transported annually on the iron ore railway between Lule
(Sweden) and Narvik (Norway) part of which runs north of the Arctic Circle. Rail operations must also be
guaranteed in the winter months in order to transport these quantities. The existing snow blowers have grown
old and must be replaced. Therefore, the Swedish infrastructure operator, Trafikverket, ordered a snow blower
from ZAUGG AG EGGIWIL / Switzerland. The vehicle costing 9.5 million Swiss Francs is to be used above all on
the section between Kiruna and the Norwegian border.
Since the customer requested a purely hydrostatic
drive for optimum distribution of power between the
traction and clearing drives, the Matisa company of
Switzerland, which specialises in track-laying
machines, was brought on board as subcontractor.
MATISA Matriel Industriel S.A. offers appropriate
drives and is additionally responsible for the approval
of the vehicle and the drive controls in Sweden.
The four-axle, self-propelled snow blower ZRR
10000 M (ZRR stands for Zaugg Rolba Railway,
M for Matisa) is driven by two Caterpillar C18 diesel
engines, stage III B, each with an output of 470 KW,
which act on three of the four wheels sets. When
changing the working direction, the superstructure
can be swivelled by 180 on the slewing ring within

The drivers cab for the two operators is damped by spring suspension and the windscreens
are fitted with heating wire

two minutes.

journeys, the snow blower units are driven together and positioned just

The two snow blower units are adjustable together in height and

above the tops of the rails to ensure compliance with the UIC standard

individually in a horizontal direction: the ejection chutes are individually

profile. Various positions of the cutters can be directly called up using

adjustable with regard to direction and ejection range. For transfer

programmable pushbuttons. In comparison with fixed snow blower

units with extendable deflectors, adjustable snow
blower units enable the track to be cleared more
quickly and with less drive power.
A hydraulically adjustable track plough is
mounted at the rear of the superstructure. From the
drivers cab, this can be adjusted in height as well as
in the clearance direction to the left or right or in a
V-shape to both sides.
In order to balance the weight, the two engines
are located at the very rear of the superstructure, with
the diesel tank in the centre of the vehicle. An
additional auxiliary diesel engine or alternatively a
stationary energy supply allows the operation of the
auxiliary units as well as the thawing and heating of

To change direction the superstructure can be swivelled within two minutes

the snow blower.

S U B S C R I B E O N L I N E A T:

European Railway Review

www.europeanrailwayreview.com

VOLUME 21, ISSUE 6, 2015

13

WINTER OPERATIONS
SUPPLEMENT

The Zaugg-Matisa self-propelled snow blower locomotive made in Switzerland for Trafikverket, Sweden
The drivers cab containing the electronic cabinets is supported on

driving and the other for snow blowing; although the roles can be

the superstructure and damped by spring suspension, as a result of

reversed at any time. One-man operation with snow-blowing is

which it is astoundingly quiet in the cab even during snow blowing

technically possible, but not allowed in practice. In order to be able to

operation. Two tidy, identically equipped workstations offer a good

start the engine, one of the engine drivers must blow into an electronic

view in a forward direction. As a rule, one operator is responsible for

alcohol tester. A generously-sized cabinet, which is currently empty, is

intended to house possible ETCS equipment in future.

Table 1: Technical Data

Distance between pivot shafts

7,790mm

Bogie wheelbase

1,800mm

Overall length

16,470mm

Operating weight

70t

Weight of superstructure

47t

Weight of chassis

20t

Diesel fuel tank

3,000l

Minimum curve radius

90m

Snow clearance performance

7,500t/h

Maximum speed:

self-propelled

snow-blowing operation

20km/h

on tow

100km/h

70km/h

For the comfort of the personnel there is a table with two folding
seats attached to the side wall, a refrigerator, a microwave oven and a
coffee machine.
In the second half of October, snow blower 99 74 9491 001 left
Switzerland on its own wheels bound for Rostock, from where its
journey continued by sea. Prior to that, three test drives took place
although without snow from Bussigny to Brig and Yverdon-les-Bains as
well as in the shunting station in Lausanne.

ZAUGG AG EGGIWIL
CH-3537 Eggiwil / Switzerland
T +41 34 491 81 11
E: info@zaugg-ag.ch
W: www.zaugg-ag.ch

The Zaugg snow clearing vehicle comprises two independent snow blower units at the front, each of which is fitted with an ejection chute for accurate
snow ejection. During the first snow blowing pass, the two blowers are retracted together. During the second pass, each one is extended to either side.
Between the windscreens there is a high-performance xenon headlight; all other lights are LEDs.

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European Railway Review

S U B S C R I B E O N L I N E A T:

VOLUME 21, ISSUE 6, 2015

www.europeanrailwayreview.com