At the beginning of June, Railcare exhibited at the world’s largest exhibition for machinery, and maintenance technology on the railway; IAF Münster 2022. Among all the yellow machines, it was confirmed that the interest in battery operation was high and that Railcare is at the forefront.
Dr Siegfried Krause is the Managing Director of VDEI Service GmbH, which organises this entire exhibition on behalf of the association:
– The unique thing about the trade exhibition is that we show the construction machines that are used for building and maintaining the infrastructure on the railway, and these construction machines are usually only visible in the background, at night and on the track.
With over 140 exhibitors from a total of 17 countries, IAFMünster provides a good picture of where the railway industry is heading.
– The insight from the industry, is that we must transform diesel-powered railway machines to fossil-free. However, not as many have taken the step and done something about it, says Ulf Marklund, CEO of Railcare Machine AB and continues:
– We have already proven that it is possible with our battery-powered Multi Purpose Vehicle and now want to continue to develop this technology by investigating whether / how the battery bank also can transform and operate other diesel machines and vehicles on the railway.
With increasing rail transports, the infrastructure, just like roads, needs ongoing maintenance. When it comes to maintenance on the railway, a considerable amount of the machines and vehicles are still diesel-powered. There are also several places on the railway where the overhead contact lines above the track are missing. The clearest example is the railway yards and operating sites where shunting takes place, and where diesel-powered shunting locomotives are therefore being used.
– Since 1992, we have been innovators on the railway. We have developed the first vacuum excavator and the world’s first snow melter, and now the first and largest fully battery-powered maintenance machine on the railway. We want to continue to lead this development, and therefore work with great commitment for an even more sustainable railway, Ulf Marklund concludes.
