Less disruption
That this work was necessary became clear last year after ultrasonic measurements. In general, rail defects have to be repaired within a year to comply with ProRail regulations. This normally causes a lot of disruption on the tracks. But by using the mobile workshop, it was possible to work with much shorter train-free periods. The result was much less logistical disruption and the work could be carried out during the day on weekdays instead of nights and weekends.
The finishing touches
To promote this idea, a demo day was organised on 27 June. Based on this, the residual risks of working with the mobile workshop were discussed with Incident Control (ICB) and with the Environment and Transport Inspectorate (IL&T) and final adjustments were made. This allowed a total of 12 rail defects to be fixed at five locations between 15 and 26 September.
At Kijfhoek, additional measures had to be taken to obtain a ‘hot work certificate’. These are the conditions that must be met for work involving the release of fire and sparks on a railway yard with hazardous substances. For instance, no wagon containing hazardous substances should be within 15 metres of the work site. To keep the situation safe, ICB carried out several ‘explosion hazard measurements’. Furthermore, as many trains as possible were kept out of the work area and diverted over other tracks.
The advantages of a mobile workshop
The work could continue undisturbed, with limited hindrance and therefore minimal impact on train traffic, because a second track remained in service. In addition, working conditions were much better because the work could simply be carried out during the day and all facilities were within easy reach. This pilot project has therefore demonstrated that, with the help of the mobile workshop, work can also be carried out in an environmentally safe way and that we have an additional effective means of carrying out this type of work quickly and with much less logistical disruption.
In the coming months, more rail defects in the same area will be fixed using the mobile workshop. Indeed, it is estimated that some 80% of defects can be fixed outside the regular maintenance schedule in this way. Moreover, the deployment costs of a service with and without the mobile workshop are comparable.
