Assessing the importance of access equipment for high-speed rail bridges highlighting some of the advanced equipment
   Indian government plans to spend tremendous amounts of money into high-speed railway network. As part of the Indian Railways’ strategy to induct faster trains, the country has already tested Talgo coaches on high-speed Bareilly-Moradabad line in Uttar Pradesh. The Spanish train ran at the speed of 110-115 kms per hour! However, this is just another small step towards achieving ‘speed’. The major achievement will be realisation of country’s first bullet train project – the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project to be developed at a cost of approximately Rs. 1 lakh crore.
The bullet trains or other high-speed railway lines will run across states travelling several hundred kilometres of which bridges will be an integral part. With that, inspection or maintenance work for rail bridges and underbridges will be a daunting task. Halting of railway traffic for maintenance or repair will not be an easy option. Even overnight closure of high-speed railway line is nearly impossible. In such a scenario, deployment of highly efficient access equipment can only be the answer. Here, we evaluate the importance of access equipment for high-speed rail bridges highlighting some of the advanced equipment.
MOOG’s under-bridge units for German RailwayMOOG designed, produced and supplied two MBS 115 under-bridge units to DB Netz AG (German Railway) that allow easy access to nearly all viaducts with the help of their equipment additions. MOOG USA, Inc. designs technically superior systems for bridge inspection, maintenance and repair.
With the operation of two MOOG-made under-bridge units, inspection and maintenance work now can be performed while the trains are moving on their regular schedules without causing disruption or shut down of the train service. This is possible because the width of the undercarriage of one unit is only 1 metre. This allows the trains to pass the units without reducing their speed. If there are workers on the units, the trains are required to reduce their speed to 160 km/h.
The units are equipped with a hydraulic gear that is able to move over grades of up to 40 per cent. The steering system works automatically with help of sensing arms. One unit has a horizontal range of 11.5 metres and a payload of 500 kg.
The erection and retraction of the machines has to be done at night during the down time of the train network as they are lifted on and off the bridge by a mobile crane. Also this is when the overhead powered lines are out of action allowing a crane to swing the unit onto or off the sidewalk next to the tracks safely.
In accordance with the customer’s requirements the units came equipped with the following optional equipment:• A pier inspection unit which enables the inspection of the piers with help of a platform that is affixed to the unit and drops down with steel cables from the main platform.• An arch inspection unit that enables the inspection of a bridge’s arches. Both pier inspection units are connected in the middle in a tandem process to be able to inspect the arches from the top and bottom.• A unique A-shaped arch inspection unit that works as follows:• Two machines become the mounting points for the rectangular platform system that goes around the complete arch section and can be lowered and lifted by synchronic-driven electric winches. Using the forward and backward movements of the machines along the bridge deck, and with the help of the winches, the platform is given complete access to the whole arch. Up to 6 people are able to work on the platform at the same time.• Both arch inspection units are dropped down from the main platform with a steel cable system as well.
Haulotte platforms for Turkey’s high speed railAcarlar Makine, Haulotte’s distributor in Turkey, has supplied several units of scissor lifts and diesel articulated booms in the last few months to the high speed railway station being built in Ankara.
The mostly used Haulotte access equipment include diesel scissor lifts H15SX and H18SX, the diesel articulated HA18SPX and H43TPX, the 43-metre diesel telescopic boom.
Haulotte H15SX and H18SX are perfectly up to the task with their ergonomic and spacious designed platform thanks to double extension which can be loaded up to 500 kg. The superior handling 4WD with Hydraulic Differential Lock greatly improves the traction on rough terrain handling. The HA18SPX has high flexibility throughout the working envelope and 360-degree continuous turntable rotation whereas the H43TPX is designed to reach to most difficult working areas and increase time efficiency and productivity.
Aside from this emblematic line, Turkey’s sprawling high-speed railway network will also include 21 new stations across the country and constitutes a key element of the government’s plans to increase the share of rail transport by improving productivity and effectiveness of railway operations.
The Ankara station which is planned to be finished in 2016 will be one of the most important and biggest public buildings in Ankara, will serve 20,000 passengers at first and its capacity is expected to be raised to 50,000 in the near future.