In the age of climate change, the railway is experiencing an enormous upswing. More cost efficient, safer, and more sustainable than all other transport systems, it is the mobility solution of the future. Plasser & Theurer sees itself as a part of the railway ecosystem and has been working on enhancing this system’s performance from the very beginning. In that sense, innovations have always played an important role. Over the years, many of them have become standards. And they have shaped today’s image of track maintenance in a major way.
In the early 1950s, Plasser & Theurer recognized that the mechanization of track work would be a decisive factor in the development of the railway system. What was missing above all was a tamping technology that could consistently withstand the enormous amount of loading on the track. By inventing tamping machines with hydraulic squeezing, that gap was filled. Today, this innovation is the proven standard in tamping technology; Plasser & Theurer holds 936 patents for tamping technology alone and a total of 2,500 active patents.
As a full-range supplier, Plasser & Theurer provides machine technologies for almost every work process: tamping, ballast management, stabilization and compaction, ballast cleaning, formation rehabilitation, material logistics, track renewal and track laying, mobile rail treatment, measuring work – the ideal machine concept is available for every requirement. Nevertheless, new technologies are still necessary.
The increasing urgency of addressing climate change and the imperative to fortify railway infrastructure against extreme weather events present a growing challenge for infrastructure managers. Technical innovation is providing the necessary tools for this task. Digitalization, automation, and the rising use of zero-emission power sources, are converging to enhance the efficiency of maintenance and renewal activities, while also minimizing the downtime required for track maintenance.
Digitalization opens completely new opportunities for machines and infrastructure, which is why Plasser & Theurer is pursuing it so intensely. One example of this is the Plasser TampingAssistant, the modular turnout tamping assistance system. This system makes it possible to automatically perform all the steps involved in turnout tamping from start to finish. Another example is the EM-VT track inspection vehicle series, which is equipped with the latest measuring systems featuring 360° 3D laser scanners and high-resolution colour cameras. Combining the information from different sensors creates a disruptive approach for a faster and safer way to inspect the condition of the existing asset.
Plasser & Theurer is addressing the topic of sustainability from a technological point of view. The first hybrid track maintenance machines were made by Plasser & Theurer and went into service in 2015. Equipped with E³ drive technologies, they use the electrical energy from the contact wire or battery power, reducing local emissions – of both pollutants and noise – to a minimum on the worksite.
Collaborating with 22 partner companies and numerous representations around the world, Plasser & Theurer also offers comprehensive customer services. They include training, spare parts supply, and technical service. The customer services team supports customers over the entire service life of their machines - out of 17,400 machines that have been delivered, 50% are still in operation.
Plasser & Theurer has been revolutionizing track maintenance technology for decades. Its aim has always been to contribute to a railway system that performs better, is more environmentally friendly and cleaner, and is poised to support a more sustainable global economy in the years ahead.
