The numbers speak for themselves: a total of four lots, 200 kilometres of slab track with 95 switches and 2 crossings, thousands of metres of cables and HandraiLIT handraisl, up to 400 employees in operation at the same time - for the major projects Stuttgart 21 and Wendlingen-Ulm, in its tenth year, RSRG is travelling full steam ahead.
“Full steam ahead” is actually the completely wrong expression in this context: Nonetheless, the railway specialists from Bregenz, Austria, are working in two joint ventures to equip the Stuttgart through station as well as the sections between the state capital and Wendlingen and then on to the main station in Ulm with state-of-the-art railway technology – from the slab track to the electrotechnical equipment.
“Still, the expression fits perfectly,” explains Philipp Nachbaur, who as Managing Director of the RSRG subsidiary Rhomberg Bahntechnik is responsible for completing the orders on time and on budget. “Because we are always the last in the process chain. After us, the trains start running!” This, and the ambitious schedule, require forward-looking, comprehensive planning as well as perfect construction site management from the professionals. And a lot of speed.
The Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, which together with Swietelsky, is equipping the high-speed line between Wendlingen and Ulm and, in a joint venture with DB Bahnbau and Züblin, is realising the section of line called “Talquerung” (valley crossing) directly at the new, underground main station in Stuttgart as well as the “Filderebene” (Filder plain) between the airport and the Neckar, is proving itself to be exemplary. “In Rhomberg Bahntechnik, we have found a partner that perfectly complementsits expertise as a qualified specialist company with a high level of commitment and an outstanding ability to adapt and learn,” praises Olaf Drescher, Chairman of the Management Board of DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH, for example.
“We benefit from the fact that we have been able to gain experience in a wide variety of large-scale railway projects all over the world,” explains Robert Kumpusch, Managing Director of Rhomberg Bahntechnik. Philipp Nachbaur also sees this as a great advantage: “We are not only convincing with our comprehensive range of services and our quality, but also – and above all – with innovative ideas and a cost-effective approach.”
One example is the vehicle-bearing level crossing segments made of in-situ concrete for slab track systems and was specially developed by RSRG together with Züblin and used for the first time in all tunnels over one kilometre long between Wendlingen and Ulm. The client, as well as all other future customers, benefits from the ease of installation, the wide range of adaptation options for various installations, the robust and maintenance-free design and, ultimately, from a high level of cost-effectiveness. Other innovations include the RhoSAS lift and position system, which is used to set up all slab track switches in the thoroughfare station and on the Filder line, as well as the universal transition module V-TRAS for easy switching between slab track and classic ballast track.
