Returning to travelling by train: less inconvenience thanks to early railway maintenance planning - voestalpine Track Solutions Netherlands B.V.

5 August 2020 |

Since last month, the Dutch National Railway operator returned to its original timetables, and all train seats can be occupied once again. ‘Only travel by train when it is strictly necessary’ has been adapted to ‘avoid crowds and rush hours’. Naturally, train journeys with minimum inconveniences are preferable. The contractors on behalf of ProRail were able to execute a number of maintenance tasks in a much earlier stage than planned, mainly due to the corona crisis. In the next couple of months, this will result in a fair number of weekends without maintenance activities, and therefore lesser inconveniences for travelers.

Railway maintenance activities without traveler inconvenience

The measures in regards to Covid-19 that were imposed by the government, led to some rather quiet times on the tracks. The number of travelers decreased by roughly 85%. That is why the Dutch National Railway operator decided to adjust their timetables. And this measure left some railway locations deserted. So how does one turn around an undesirable situation like this? Well, by giving these places priority in the execution of the planned railway maintenance work. The result? No inconveniences for travelers.

Maintenance Schiphol tunnel finished within a week

During the time tables adjustment period, the two oldest tubes of the Schiphol tunnel were out of service for train traffic. The Schiphol tunnel is a critical spot in our network. It was built to establish a railway connection between Schiphol (Europe’s third airport) and the very fast trajectory Amsterdam – The Hague/Rotterdam. Several weekends were planned for rail replacement activities later this year and at the start of next year. These activities were expected to cause a great deal of inconvenience for travelers and significantly prolong the journey to and from Schiphol. However, by acting quickly in collaboration with our client, we were able to mobilize our Robel train directly and organize the delivery of more than 7.3km rails within a fortnight.

This is remarkable. As a company to be capable to supply a train filled with rails within two weeks’ time,

says key account manager Herbert Bokkers, who proudly looks back on the accomplishment of his team.

More than 15 km rails delivered for the Willems railway tunnel

Another location where intense maintenance activities took place during the corona crisis, was the Willems railway tunnel, located in the Meuse river in Rotterdam. Due to the frequent use of the train toilets by the travelers, among other things, the clamps that keep the rails in place started to show corrosion, and the tracks were narrowed. More than 15km of rails were ultimately replaced. Key account manager Ruud Landstra:

It is great that we, as a partner, were able to deliver these materials quickly, right on time, and in the preferred amount.

The first emergency repair was carried out in February, during which 5,115m of rails were replaced. The rest has been planned for Autumn. However, in collaboration with the contractor, a large part of this work was already finished in April and May.

Top achievement Rail Service Center

It is fair to say that the quick realization of these two projects is partly thanks to the tireless efforts of our Rail Service Center.

The sudden work schedule switches had a clear impact on our staff.

They were confronted with an extra work load, in addition to the projects that were already running, during a time when the entire country had to go into an intelligent lockdown. This meant a lot of overtime due to additional night shifts and the need to step in for sick colleagues. As indicated by Herbert Bokkers and Ruud Landstra, 'our Rail Services deserve all the praise.