Gigantic bed cleaning: Berlin-Hamburg railway is being made fit!

Gigantic bed cleaning: Berlin-Hamburg railway is being made fit!

What is currently happening in the railway construction area in Prignitz? A fascinating spectacle awaits passers-by driving along the route between Berlin and Hamburg. The reason for this is the impressive RM 900 S ballast cleaning machine, which leaves a huge hole under the rails. This machine is a true monster, removing an impressive 3.5 tons of gravel per meter of track during the first week of the general renovation of the route. Tagesspiegel reports that a total of 165 kilometers of tracks will be renewed and a further 61 kilometers repaired in the next nine months.

The ballast cleaning machine is a specialized track construction machine that not only cleans ballast in track beds, but also removes contamination and grit. According to Wikipedia, the gravel is cleaned via a cycle in which it is lifted, dug, transported and then screened. Only the best and most stable stones are returned to guarantee the load-bearing capacity of the superstructure. This is particularly important because the railway embankment is immediately filled with fresh gravel after cleaning.

Mechanical support for safe railway routes

How does such cleaning actually work? Very easy! The process begins with lifting the track yoke. The gravel is then excavated, transported to sieve compartments and separated from contaminating material. The cleaned ballast is then leveled and the track is lowered again. More specifically, the RM 900 S can clean up to two kilometers of railway embankment per day, removing 2000 tonnes of unusable gravel. After the track has been stabilized, the route can again be used at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

A worker from the team sits relaxed in a floating office chair and controls the process. A total of around 80 construction crews with the most modern equipment are active on the 280 kilometer long route. The use of such special machines is not only necessary, but also expensive: the entire general renovation is estimated to cost up to 2.5 billion euros.

The challenge of financing

However, one of the biggest problems is financing. Deutsche Bahn speaks of a financing gap of 17 billion euros by 2029. The construction industry urgently calls for more planning security, because uncertainty leads to rising construction prices. Spitzke has in the past pointed out the need for a reliable emergency management service, which also includes the maintenance and repair of track construction machines.

In summary, cleaning and renewing rail infrastructure is a challenge that requires not only technological skills but also transparent and secure financing. Another machine will soon be added to replace broken pieces of track - another step in the right direction for rail safety and travel comfort on Germany's routes.