Eurailpool

Eurailpool (EURAILPOOL GmbH) is a German-Austrian joint venture company that specialises in the mechanised, track-bound rehabilitation of railway subgrades. It was founded in 2001 and bundles the subgrade-rehabilitation activities of the German firm GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH and the Austrian construction group Swietelsky. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and operates across Europe, serving infrastructure operators and major construction companies. Eurailpool's core business is the renewal of the soil beneath railway tracks without replacing the rails and sleepers. Its specialised large machines lift the track, excavate and remove the ballast and subsoil, install geotextile and protective sand layers, and then re-lay and tamp the track so that it is immediately passable. The company operates several planum-improvement machines and, according to its own information, the largest fleet of Materialförder- und Silowagen (MFS) in Europe, with more than 130 units. It also carries out complete construction projects that include planum improvement. According to its official website, Eurailpool employs around 175 people, operates 442 machines and has completed more than 300 projects. It describes itself as the market leader in mechanised subgrade rehabilitation and states that it works with 100% sustainable technologies and a good environmental balance. The company holds ISO 9001:2000 certification and is prequalified by Deutsche Bahn and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). Eurailpool's origins in mechanised subgrade rehabilitation date back to 1982, when Plasser & Theurer built the first subgrade-rehabilitation machine, the PM-200, for GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH. Today the company operates large machines with different working methods, including the PM 200-1, the PM 200-2R and the AHM 800R, as well as MFS wagons and specialised loading and unloading equipment. Its machines can reach a length of up to 400 metres depending on the composition and number of material wagons.

Eurailpool was founded in 2001 as a German-Austrian joint venture between the German company GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH and the Austrian construction group Swietelsky. The joint venture was created to bundle the two partners' activities in the field of subgrade rehabilitation of railway lines. The origins of mechanised subgrade rehabilitation, however, go back to 1982, when the company Plasser & Theurer built the first subgrade rehabilitation machine, the PM-200, for GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH. This machine laid the foundation for the specialised technology that Eurailpool would later deploy on a large scale. Since its founding, Eurailpool has grown into a leading provider of track-bound subgrade rehabilitation in Europe. The company operates several large machines with different working methods. The PM 200-1, the first of the three main machines, is still in operation in several European countries. It lifts the track in the working area, uses a large excavation chain to remove ballast and subsoil, transports the old material via conveyor belts to MFS wagons, lays geotextile, and installs and compacts new sand for the planum protective layer (PSS material). New ballast is then brought in and installed, and the track is lowered and tamped by an integrated tamping machine for immediate passability up to 70 km/h. Working speed is between 50 and 100 metres per hour depending on soil conditions. New modules allow the excavated ballast to be crushed and recycled on board into PSS material. The PM 200-2R is a further development of the PM 200-1. It has two excavation chains and modern recycling technology for railway ballast. It removes ballast with a ballast excavation chain and feeds it to an elaborate cleaning and recycling system, where it is screened, washed, and the water is cleaned and reused in an on-board treatment plant — described as unique worldwide at the time. The subsoil is excavated by a second chain and transported to MFS wagons. Geotextile is laid, PSS material is installed, and the recycled ballast is reinstalled as sub-ballast, supplemented with new top ballast. The track is then lowered and tamped. The AHM 800R, which operates mainly in Austria, also has two excavation chains but follows a different concept: ÖBB does not want to use recycled ballast, so the ballast is excavated together with the soil, screened, crushed, and processed with a new gravel-sand mixture into PSS material, which is reinstalled. New ballast is then installed and the track is lowered and tamped. Eurailpool also states that it is the largest provider of MFS systems. These material conveyor and silo wagons were developed in the 1980s for the PM 200-1 and can also be used for other track construction work, such as in conjunction with ballast cleaning machines. The necessary site logistics for operating the subgrade rehabilitation machines, MFS and bucket wagons must always be individually adapted to local conditions, and special rail-bound loading and unloading facilities are available for these applications. Today, Eurailpool is ISO 9001:2000 certified and holds prequalification from Deutsche Bahn and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). According to its website, the company employs around 175 people, operates 442 machines, and has completed more than 300 projects. It describes itself as the market leader in mechanised subgrade rehabilitation and operates the largest MFS fleet in Europe, with over 130 units.

• 2001

  Eurailpool is founded as a German-Austrian joint venture between GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH and Swietelsky.

• 1982

  Plasser & Theurer builds the first subgrade rehabilitation machine, the PM-200, for GSG Knape Gleissanierung GmbH.

• Eurailpool becomes ISO 9001:2000 certified and obtains prequalification from Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB.

Market leader in mechanised subgrade rehabilitation, offering sustainable and efficient railway infrastructure renewal.

• PM 200-1

  First subgrade rehabilitation machine, still in operation in several European countries. Lifts track, excavates ballast and subsoil, installs geotextile and PSS material, and tamps track for immediate passability up to 70 km/h.

• PM 200-2R

  Further development of PM 200-1 with two excavation chains and modern ballast recycling technology, including on-board washing and water treatment.

• AHM 800R

  Machine operating mainly in Austria with two excavation chains; processes ballast and soil into PSS material without using recycled ballast, per ÖBB requirements.

• MFS wagons

  Material conveyor and silo wagons developed in the 1980s for the PM 200-1; Eurailpool claims the largest MFS fleet in Europe with over 130 units.

• Loading and unloading equipment

  Special rail-bound loading and unloading facilities for site logistics of subgrade rehabilitation machines, MFS and bucket wagons.

1. 1eurailpool GmbH - Gleisgebundene Untergrundsanierungeurailpool.com
2. 2Eurailpool - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Eurailpool - Wikidatawikidata.org