The state-owned Deutsche Bahn plans to use long-distance drones to monitor its rail network in the future. Deutsche Bahn already uses drones to assess the condition of the tracks or to check the vegetation along the tracks. According to the company, the new drones have a significantly greater range of around 150 kilometers and can also be used during ongoing rail operations. Closure breaks are not necessary.
DB InfraGO is strengthening its machine pool in strategically important areas of maintenance. At the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin, Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure subsidiary today officially announced a contract with Voestalpine TSG. The contract includes the acquisition of two high-performance switch grinding machines. In November 2024, DB InfraGO will also take over the Kirchmöser workshop and the staff of the Austrian specialist company.
A letter of intent with the German subsidiary of Plasser & Theurer for the period up to 2029 provides for the rental and subsequent planned purchase of 15 hybrid-powered overhead line maintenance vehicles. The machines will be used for inspection, scheduled maintenance and repairs after damage. The initiation of the contract for the procurement of environmentally friendly vehicles paves the way for DB InfraGO to have the quickest access to rejuvenate the currently aging fleet and meet the increasing demand.
Dr. Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO:
“Big programs need big technology. We have to manage a massive construction program and comprehensive maintenance projects. In the current year alone, we are investing around 16.4 billion euros in the infrastructure. This will enable us to stabilize and upgrade the network at full speed. We are now strengthening our own maintenance machinery with the appropriate large equipment and will do more ourselves in the future. A good and necessary investment with the clear goal of making rail operations more reliable and trains more punctual, thus continuing to pursue our Strong Rail strategy.”
At DB, around 3,300 switches and thousands of kilometers of track are currently processed with grinding machines every year – previously carried out mainly by external contractors. The takeover of the large equipment by DB InfraGO should enable the company to be able to carry out at least 30 percent of this work effectively in-house by 2025. At the same time, DB InfraGO is increasing its capacity on the large equipment market in Germany and thus expanding the annual construction and maintenance volume possible. Nagl: “This is in line with our approach of ensuring a better infrastructure condition quickly and in new ways.”
Other premieres at the international trade fair for transport technology InnoTrans: The first hybrid track work vehicle in Germany will be presented, which will complement the machine park of the DB Bahnbau Group and DB InfraGO. The vehicle can be used on all route classes of the rail network, has a large, continuous loading area for the transport of rails, sleepers, switches and building materials and a powerful work crane. The diesel-electric drive with battery generally enables environmentally friendly operation and also ensures safe use in tunnel environments.
From 2025, DB will be testing the new long-range drones “DB UAS” (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) along its routes. In the future, the drones will support various tasks from the air, including surveying, vegetation control and monitoring the infrastructure. In the future, a total of around 100 of these drones are to be used throughout Germany. DB presented the drones, which were specially developed for use on the tracks, to the public for the first time today.
Top Photo: L-R: Jörg Schamuhn, Chief Executive Officer der AIRIAL UAS GmbH; Dr. Philipp Nagl, Vorstandsvorsitzender der DB InfraGO AG ; Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Vorständin für Digitalisierung und Technik der Deutschen Bahn AG ; Peter Usko, Vorsitzender der Geschäftsführung der DB Fahrwegdienste GmbH
Source: Deutsche Bahn