International Railway Journal - August 2007 - (Page 34)

China A firm foundation for Chi Due to the sensitivities of the alluvial soil along much of the route, the line requires more than 100km of elevated structures. Slab track technology developed by Max Bögl, Germany, is being used to overcome difficult ground conditions on the Beijing Tianjin high-speed line. W ITH the Beijing Olympic Games now just 12 months away, construction of the Beijing - Tianjin high-speed line is proceeding at an impressive pace to meet the August 2008 deadline. The 116km line is being built for 350km/h operation and runs over alluvial soil that is sensitive to ground settlement. This demands long elevated sections of track and more than 50 bridges. For the purpose of construction, the line is divided into two sections of 50km and 66km respectively. A Chinese company is responsible for planning the line, and the construction work is being carried out by Chinese companies employing the Max Bögl slab track system. This requires the installation of around 35,500 track support sections. The basis for the success of this project lies with the technology transfer contracts signed in November 2005 and May 2006, as well as another contract for overall responsibility and consultation for the entire 116km line. A team of around 20 staff working under project manager Mr Alfred Kneissl is responsible for, among other things, geotechnical analysis, verification of the planning for the groundwork and quality control in the assembly of the track slabs. Max Bögl staff under the leadership of project manager Mr Walter Antlauf, planned the construction of two plants to manufacture prefabricated elements and provide professional assistance during the construction, and the equipment at the sites in the Beijing suburbs of Fangshan and Pinggu. The two plants were constructed in a matter of weeks and each is designed with a production output of 81 slabs a day. Moreover, Antlauf’s team acts as advisers during the production of the track support layers and ensures that the track is fabricated and installed to the correct standard along the entire double-track route. Nationalisation of the manufacturing process, by using Chinese materials to produce Max Bögl’s grinding system constituted a particular challenge. The grinding system, which is CNCcontrolled by a local engineering company, grinds the planned track geometry to decimillimetres into the raw part of the track support layer. This seems an enormous effort at first but it has major benefits: not only is the ride quality claimed to be significantly better than with similar systems, but wear on wheels and rails diminishes too. Elevation In order to cross roads, rivers and the new highway to Shanghai, three fourspan girder bridges, 33 three-span girder bridges and 16 single-span girder bridges will be built using concrete cast on-site. Due to the poor quality subsoil, 34 IRJ August 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of International Railway Journal - August 2007

Contents This month News Market News Transit News News Analysis Voith Goes For Maxima Impact First Gauge-Changeable Loco Under Test Power Surge China Feels the Need For Speed A Firm Foundation For Chinese High-Speed Testing Times on the Betuwe Route Tough Tests For Mass Transit Software A Measure of Success Rendezvous Full Contact List Advertisers Index The Last Word

International Railway Journal - August 2007

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