2016 RailcareNews Magazine

News and information | Issue 21 | March 2016

railcarenews

Page 3Workshop expansion

Page 10Safety on track

Page 15Lining expands

its offer

Page 5

More muscle bound for England

2 | RAILCARE NEWS 2016

All set for the next step

Daniel Öholm, CEO, Railcare Group

Step by step we’re moving forward. Over the past year we have really tried hard to combine the efforts of all the company’s subsidiaries to drive future development.

In terms of heavy equipment manufacturing, we have built several new Railvac machines for the UK market and we are starting to receive sizeable export orders, for example from London Underground. In order to deal with the increase in these sorts of orders, we have expanded our workshop in Skelleftehamn.

We have trained more operators in our own school, Railcare Academy, to man these new machines.

We have enhanced our leadership with new key personnel both in Sweden and in the UK.

Relining drainage culverts is now preformed in both railway environments and on regular roads, and for other industries besides rail.

We have merged our two transport companies into the new Railcare T, making us stronger in that business area.

We have a new office, storage and workshop facility in Derby in the UK.

Our latest innovation is a prototype of the Ballast Feeder (see page 12).

all this and more has been done in order to meet and cope with the business expansion we are facing. At the same time we continue to maintain our profitability. Above all, we continue to work with safety as our top priority, we have fun at work and we continue to develop and improve ourselves.

a book full of orders, dedicated personnel and satisfied customers ensures a good foundation for the future. Railcare is well positioned for further growth in the years to come, and we are looking forward to 2016, even stronger and more focused on the next step that will take Railcare to a new level. |

THE EXPANSION OF THE RAILCARE WORKSHOP IN SKELLEFTEHAMN ENABLES BETTER LOGISTICS AND AN INCREASED CAPACITY FOR BOTH NEW BUILDS AND SERVICING.

RAILCARE NEWS 2016 | 3

Extended ECM certificate

Railcare’s ECM certificate (maintenance manager for freight carts) has been renewed and extended. The extension deals with the service performance of freight carts. The certificate was approved in spring 2015 by Transportstyrelsen and is valid until 2018. Before the revision, both education and documentation were up-dated. Furthermore, two freight cart mechanics have been trained and approved to be drivers on main level crossings. Thanks to this our freight carts can be handled faster and more efficiently at the Skelleftehamn workshop.

A smoother, faster workflow and a more efficient workshop: that’s the result of extending Railcare’s workshop, performed in summer 2015.

“The reason for this is fundamental: increasing demand for our services”, says Daniel Öholm CEO at Railcare.

Thanks to the investment Railcare now has three new tracks, used as follows:Track 1: Manufacturing of new machines, mainly on behalf of Railcare Export and the international market.Track 2: Railcare T’s cart service. This drive-through track is also equipped with a two metre + deep oil pit, making servicing much easier. Furthermore there’s also a new lift with no less than a 100 tonnes lifting capacity.Track 3: An outdoor track that makes it possible to move carts and machines around in a smoother fashion in order to achieve an optimum workflow.

EXTENDED TRACKSThese tracks (above) are combined with new track extensions both inwards and outwards from the workshop, around 30 metres on each side. Alongside these improvements, the workshop

offices were also upgraded.“The workshop up-grade was very successful and we are very pleased with the end result, even though we had many ongoing building and service projects at the same time”, says Mikael Andersson, the workshop manager. “Both the initial planning/construction and the entire track building project was done by our own personnel.”

EXTRA PERSONNELWhile there is additional workshop capacity we haven’t needed extra Railcare personnel. Instead workload peaks are covered by external specialists, hired on project by project basis.Andersson continues, “Our storage capacity is the thing we have to deal with now. We need more space for our complete stock of Railcare Export spare parts, plus our own stock of hoses, and a solution to this is now well under way.” |

Better logistics thanks to

workshop upgrade


“Our work capacity was doubled last year, and we’ve also learned our lesson in terms of what it means to adapt to a ‘bigger suit’ ”, says Håkan Johansson, MD at Railcare Sweden Ltd and one of the five people at the Railcare office in Derby. “Presently we have five Railvac machines stationed in England, including one back-up machine.”

EXTRA CAPACITY“This means we always have extra capacity, and can have one back-up machine in service in order to both keep our machinery in perfect shape, and also to avoid stand-downs if a machine needs to be replaced.“ More machines operating means more operators, so new ones have been trained via Railcare Academy (see next page).“They have adapted very well to their new tasks and their new workplaces”, says Håkan. MORE ASSIGNMENTSGenerally speaking the UK market has developed towards

general expansion through longer contracts on the core services. Mainly it’s about re-ballasting tracks and level crossings. The contracts are normally planned in order to fit into the very short time slots that are offered for railway maintenance in the UK. “Many of our clients within Network Rail have come back to us for further orders. They are obviously very satisfied with the job we’ve done. But there are still a lot of jobs to do in order to convince new clients.”

A JOURNEY OF GROWTH A review performed by Network Rail last autumn resulted in a few weeks’ stand-down for Railvac machines, mostly waiting for a full technical and security analysis. Operations re-started on Christmas Day.“We learned a lot, and I think that – despite everything - we improved our already good relations even further with Network Rail”, says Daniel Öholm. “Now we are looking ahead, and our journey of growth has just begun.” |

The UK market is growing“Soon our activities in the UK will match those in Sweden volume wise”,

says Daniel Öholm, CEO. However, the potential, taking both railway traffic and railway network into consideration, is many times larger. Last year the capacity

in the UK was increased, with two more new machines and more personnel.

UK capacity doubled

Our journey of growth has just begun

Besides office spaces, the new premises also have enough room for storage of spare parts and consumables, and for internal education.“This will become a hub for all our maintenance personnel, and a meeting point for everybody working in the UK”, says Håkan. “A total of five people are based at the office.”

STRATEGIC LOCATIONAs Derby is a large railway hub in its own right, the new Railcare office’s location is strategic, and close to British Rail’s former R&D centre. This now serves as an office hotel and meeting point for several railway activities.“The track area is extensive and we can also count on the probability of renting more workshop space if machine maintenance is needed on site.”Railcare’s offices will be furnished with a Scandinavian touch in order to emphasize the company’s Swedish origin. |

“The academy has worked out well and no further changes were required in pursuit of our original objectives”, tells Emil Burén, the ‘headmaster’ of the Railcare Academy. “Railcare Academy prepares the workforce well for both the railway environment and the handling of Railcare’s own machines.”

“But of course it’s a whole different matter to tackle problems in reality, and to cope with the social side when you are out on the actual site”, says Emil. “So far only one of the 30 people that completed Railcare Academy has quit his job. This also proves that we’re educating the right sort of people and that they’re happy with their new jobs.” |

Railcare Sweden Ltd has new premises, although the move was only to the other side of the railway yard in Derby, a distance of just 500 metres as the crow flies!

“We outgrew our previous premises”, says Håkan Johansson, MD at Railcare Sweden Ltd. “Now we have around 400 square metres over two levels”.

The third batch of students has taken their exam in Railcare’s own education program Railcare Academy. This time eight pupils finished their training, specially adapted for those who will be working in the British market.

New operational hub in the UK

Third batch of Railcare Academy students

3

THIS IS THE NOW RAILCARE PREMISES IN DERBY, UK, WITH A STRATEGIC LOCATION FOR EXPANSION


Railcare T offers services on both a one-off and project basis for railway transportation in Sweden, from leasing of locomotives, carts and personnel, to servicing of both carts and locomotives. Servicing can be performed on-site (if essential) or at one of the company’s two workshops in Långsele and Skelleftehamn. In addition to the services offered to other railway operators, Railcare T also takes care of the servicing and maintenance of Railcare’s own locomotives, carts and machines.

ECM CERTIFIEDIn recent years Railcare has worked hard in order to achieve ECM certification of Railcare’s railway cart maintenance activities. This has now been completed with a certificate for the maintenance of railway freight carts. “Besides servicing, we are also acknowledged as a training

company”, comments Hans Flodmark. “In total we have a wide range of services to offer the railway industry.”

MAJOR LOCOMOTIVE REFURBISHMENTDuring 2015 the workshop in Långsele experienced very positive growth, including the winning of a number of major contracts. 2016 has also started well with a large order from Nordic Re-Finance AB. “We will refurbish two TMZ locomotives”, says Patrik Söderholm, manager at the Långsele workshop. “In addition to machinery up-grades, we will also spray-paint both of them. They will come out looking as good as new.”Railcare T in Långsele has also refurbished one of Railcare’s TMY locomotives, including a new design of the Railcare visual identity. Interior modernisations include radio control, new lightning and improved wheelhouse equipment. |

Railcare T: This was the logical name for the merger of the Railcare subsidiaries Railcare Logistics and Three T.

“Combined we are now a more powerful player than we were separately”, says Hans Flodmark, manager at Railcare T.

Railcare T has a lot to offer

LOTS TO DO AT THE LÅNGSELE LOCOMOTIVE WORKSHOP


On the other hand, our client Swedish Transport Administration and key personnel in Hallsberg were able to experience snow removal at full capacity. Presently the machine on site is used for removal of snow in the central railyard area, but being such a large railyard another machine would be required in order to reach full capacity, removing snow around the entrance and exit areas as well.

SNOW REMOVAL IN GOTHENBURGThe winter season started with relatively small amounts of snow in central and southern Sweden where the Railcare snow removal machines are stationed. The SR 300 machine has been used for both the removal of light snow and the ice that falls off vehicles entering the yard. Gothenburg experienced heavy snowfall in mid-January and the smallest snow machine, SR 100, proved very handy in order to minimize traffic disruption there.

OPTIMIZED SCHEDULEWhile waiting for the inevitable scheduling chaos caused by the snow, Railcare and Swedish Transport Administration co-operated in order to develop an optimized schedule for snow removal on Priority 2 crossings on around 10 kilometres of track where the traffic is heaviest in central Stockholm. The schedule was tested without snow and everything worked out fine.“Now we’re well prepared if the snow comes. We now know that with our machines and co-operating partners we can minimise traffic disturbances in the Stockholm traffic.” |

Two snow removal machines of our largest model, SR 700, were seen removing snow side-by-side in Hallsberg in the beginning of 2016.

“We wanted to replace machine 1 with machine 2 in order to make sure that we have two functional units. This is why we had two machines at the same time at the same location”, says Jonny Granlund, operational manager at Railcare.

Two snow removal machines in a row

RAILCARE’S TWO LARGEST SNOW REMOVAL MACHINES WERE USED SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING A FEW DAYS IN HALLSBERG

SCAN THE CODE – SEE THE FILM!

Railcare T develops its transport services even further

Sleepers in a long row

WE HAVE NOW COMPLETED OVERHAULING OUR EQUIPMENT AND TODAY WE HAVE TWO COMPLETE SETS WITH LOCOMOTIVES AND CARTS ADAPTED FOR SLEEPER TRANSPORT”, SAYS HANS FLODMARK, MANAGER AT RAILCARE T



In 2015 Railcare T (former Railcare Logistik) transported around 50,000 sleepers to different railway projects. This may sound much, but in fact the number was almost twice as much as the year before. “If everything works out, 2016 will be a record year when it comes to the number of transported sleepers”, says Hans Flodmark, manager at Railcare T.

The sleepers are transported on a set with a locomotive and around 20 carts. “We have rebuilt a number of carts and can now offer two complete sets for sleeper transportation”, says Hans.Railcare T also offers other services in connection with railway maintenance projects. The company can provide transport solutions for machinery rented from other countries. Railcare T can handle all the administrate planning and transportation from the border of whichever country to the site in question.

EFFECTIVE TRANSPORT SOLUTIONSHans continues, “The advantage is twofold: we make sure that everything is in place on the required date, and we can also take care of the return transport. This usually involves often very expensive machinery that costs a lot to rent, so there is a lot to be gained from an effective logistics solution. We also offer complete quarry-to-site solutions for ballast transportation.”Last year was also characterised by renewed confidence shown by Railcare T’s customers, for example two new transportations of Siemens transformers on behalf of customer Havator to their end customer Svenska Kraftnät.“In all, we are very pleased with 2015 as we have continued to develop both our competence, for example the ECM certificate, our services, and our fleet.” |

Field trip goes west15 years ago the first Railvac machine was delivered to Loram Maintenance of Way Inc. in Minnesota, USA. Since then a total of 18 machines have been delivered there. This spring Railcare employees will visit them on a field trip. “We want to expand our cooperation at the operator level in order to investigate how methods and machines have been adapted to the US market, compared to here in Sweden”, says Jan Billberg MD at Railcare Export. |

Railcare Export concentrates its resourcesWhen Railcare Export was started around a year ago, a number of technical consultants were hired at the Lund office in the southernmost tip of Sweden. Now Railcare is concentrating its resources for construction and design of new machines to the head office in Skelleftehamn.“This is a very good solution”, says Jan Billberg. “A lot of details can be solved on site in Skelleftehamn where the machines are being built. This saves time I can spend being proactive about sales instead.” |

Railcare Export

First Railcare appearance at the Trako ExhibitionRailcare participated at the Trako Exhibition in Gdansk, Poland, last year for the first time.“The exhibition was larger than we had expected, around 15,000 visitors”, says Jan Billberg, MD at Railcare Export. “It was a really interesting experience and naturally an important step in our international marketing efforts.”Speaking of the international scene, two exhibitions are coming up in Germany: Innotrans Berlin 2016, and IAF Münster in May 2017. |


Breathalyser tests are common on the railwayRailcare employees working on the tracks can at any given time be exposed to breathalyser tests.

“So far, we haven’t had any positive tests - no-one has been under the influence”, says Thomas Brunnberg, security manager at Railcare. “I’d be extremely surprised if it were to happen. Our employees are very conscious of the rules and when they work according to their schedules there is no time for anything else but to work, eat and sleep.”

The railway industry has – like all other industries – moved towards zero tolerance when it comes to alcohol. Today this is a general demand in any quotations and it is up to each contractor to have a working system that ensures that no-one works under the influence of alcohol in the track environment.

The limit for the railway industry in Sweden is 0.2 per mille, the same limit that applies on public roads. Besides the breathalyser controls performed by the railway’s own organizations also the police is allowed to make them, e. g. in connection with an accident. |

Thomas is responsible for reviewing the incident reports and how they have been handled. This must be done in order to prove continuous operational management control and demonstrate how you are constantly improving your safety record.“Our new operational system (see article on next page) is a fantastic boost in this regard!” says Thomas. “I haven’t come across anything that is easier to work with, or that gives such a perfect overview.”

INTERNAL TRAININGCan this year’s positive trend be the result of a major effort made on internal safety education during the spring of 2015?“Maybe, but this is not some one-off campaign – security is always on our agenda.”

…FOR A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENTThe railway environment is dangerous, particularly when working on level crossings.“You have to follow the rules, always control the switches, and adjust the speed.” Everything is done in order to ensure the working environment is safe and secure, and to minimize the risk of any possible injury that might occur. Don’t safety regulations make it harder to perform efficiently and effectively?“Yes, to some extent they cause limitations, but this is also their intention. To prioritize security takes time, and so it must be done.” |

2015 was a good year at Railcare when it comes to safety.“We have had fewer incidents and accidents than in previous years”, says Thomas Brunnberg, safety manager.

Safe or not at all

A positive trend at Railcare


Railcare’s new Quality Management System is an important part of our approach to security. Above all, everybody has access to all documents at all times – provided that you have a PC or a smartphone. When developing the system the aim was to make its handling as easy as possible.“Our goal is that all incidents shall be reported instantly, preferably while you are still on-site, in order to ensure that nothing is forgotten.”

This is how it works when something has occurred: The person on-site connects to the system via PC or mobile phone and makes a report in a smart form. The system alerts the responsible person(s) of the new report. The person who’s ultimately responsible decides if the event should be noted or if something needs to be followed up. Everybody in the ‘report group’ can follow the report until it is archived. All reports are saved for future statistics and follow-up.

“Compared to other contractors in our line of business, we are in the forefront in this field”, says Johan Forslund, project manager and responsible for the QMS’s implementation. “When it comes to tools for personnel planning we looked at everything available, but nothing really fulfilled our needs. This is why we developed our own complete system, so it really is unique in the railway industry.” |

Facts about Railcare’s Quality Management System

General: A cloud-based operation system

Modules: Document (general documents, e.g. policies and routines)Maintenance (plans for service and maintenance)Case management (smart forms)

For whom? All employees in the Railcare Group

Other: Railcare has also developed a unique tool for personnel planning, now being used by the UK market. It is also used for follow-up of actual working time and for example to make sure that all working time regulations are met.

Smart IT tools on the increase

Security and traceability

RAILCARE’S NEW QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MAKES IT EASIER TO REPORT ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS


UK railway traffic is intense and the track possession slots for refurbishments are very limited. During the weeks they can be five hours and at the weekends six to eight hours. The new Railcare innovation – Ballast Feeder System 40 – makes it possible to do more in a shorter time. During some weeks in November Railcare demonstrated the Ballast Feeder prototype to decision makers

from both Nordic Rail and Swedish Transport Administration, on-site in Skelleftehamn.

“This new concept solves many of our customers’ concerns about ballast refill, and does so in an effective, safe and reliable way”, says Ulf Marklund, the founder and vice MD at Railcare. All work is done in a continuous process (see the process info above). Besides the more effective procedure there are other advantages.

NOT ENOUGH SPACE AROUND THE TRACKS“The space around the tracks is very limited in the UK, making it difficult to reach the work site with machines and building material”, says Jonny Granlund, operational manager at Railcare. “Using our method there is no need for extra machines, and the new ballast required is stored in the adjoining carts. The loading capacity is large, an advantage when you are far from the location where the

ballast is being loaded. There is great potential in Sweden as well for the Ballast Feeder System 40, e. g. for ballast work on level crossings.”

CUSTOMERS IMPRESSEDThe customers that took part in the demonstrations in Skelleftehamn were impressed and realised the concept’s advantages.“Now we will continue with further tests and construction tweaks, and start the process with authorisation of the concept for the UK market”, says Jonny. “We know it takes time to introduce a completely new concept, but we are convinced that Ballast Feeder System 40 is a very good solution, so we are going full speed ahead!” |

MORE DONE IN SHORTER TIME

Ballast Feeder System 40 – A highly effective ballast exchange solution

This is how Ballast Feeder System 40 works

1. As a set with Railcare’s vacuum machine, the feeder unit and two/ three carts are driven to the site.2. The Railvac vacuum machine is separated from the other units and drives a few metres forwards.3. The vacuum machine is used to remove the old ballast that’s to be exchanged.4. The conveyor belt on the feeder unit is stretched out and a small remote controlled backhoe loader drives back and forth to load ballast into a feeder bin.5. The new ballast is transported on the conveyor for the refill.6. Nos 3 to 5 continue in a loop.

VISITORS FROM NETWORK RAIL WERE VERY INTERESTED IN THE NEW RAILCARE INNOVATION

The development of the Ballast Feeder System was done in the normal Railcare style: in other words, very fast from the initial idea to action. The timetable looked like this:

BEFORE THE TURN OF 2014-2015The idea to develop a smart solution for refilling ballast, mainly for the British market, had been around for some time.

JANUARYThe discussion became more concrete and the process started with looking at how to solve the brief.

FEBRUARYDifferent ideas were discussed and tested.

MARCH-APRILA solution took shape and the decision to build a prototype was made.

MAYFirst meeting for the Ballast Feeder prototype build. Ordering of components began and discussions with the remote controlled backhoe loader supplier started. It had to be modified for the purpose.

AUGUSTPrototype building started.

NOVEMBERPrototype ready for testing and for demonstrations to potential customers from Sweden and Great Britain.

DECEMBER 2015Decision made to carry on, and to start the process of authorisation of the concept on the UK market. |

From idea to solution

Why must ballast be exchanged?

Ballast – the stone filling around sleepers and rails forming the railway track - must be exchanged around every 30 years. Locomotives and carts passing on the track cause vibrations that make the stone filling crumble and compress. When this has been going on for a long time the ballast becomes ‘numb’ and the track may even lose its positioning, increasing the risk of a derailment. The unique advantage with the Railcare method is that you don’t have to remove the track during the process. When the work is complete, normal traffic movements can be resumed.

JONATAN HOLMQVIST IS THE NEW DESIGNER AT RAILCARE AND HE IS ONE OF THOSE BEHIND BALLAST FEEDER SYSTEM 40


Refurbishment of two Tubevac machines

“A very exciting test project is coming up”

Railcare Export has been assigned to refurbish the two Tubevac machines used for maintenance in the London tube system. They are each equipped with one extra load cart and a hose arm.

“The loading capacity has been increased from 10 to 26 cubic metres of ballast.”, says Jan Billberg, MD at Railcare Export. “This makes it possible to do more work during the short time-frame

for maintenance in the London Underground system.”

The traffic is stopped for around four hours each night. This time is used for transportation to the workplace, removal and replacement of old ballast with new ballast, return to base, and clearing the track for normal scheduled traffic once again.“The request for more loading capacity also shows that the operators have become more skilled and can do more during the short four hour time period”, says Jan. “At the same time even stricter rules have been applied making it

impossible to shut down the under-ground network outside these nightly stops. This also called for our providing increased capacity.”

INTERESTING TEST PROJECTBoth machines are also being prepared for use in a test project called B2F (Baker Street to Finchley Road). Here the traditional stone filling will be replaced with fast hardening concrete.“The entire London underground system has problems with water that

penetrates into the tunnel shafts. Because of this, the ballast must be replaced in short intervals, making it a never-ending process. The B2F project is a way to investigate more durable concrete as an alternative material. This is a very exciting project that we’re following with great interest!”The two Tubevac machines are being refurbished at the workshop in Skelleftehamn. One of them was delivered in January and the other will leave the workshop in May/June. |

TWO TUBEVAC MACHINES ARE BEING REFURBISHED AT THE WORKSHOP IN SKELLEFTEHAMN TO ENSURE UNDERGROUND MAINTENANCE CAPACITY IN THE LONDON TUBE SYSTEM


RAILWAY – ROADS – INDUSTRY

Railcare Lining develops its concept

even furtherRailcare Lining is constantly developing methods and applications of its concept, aiming to seal, reinforce and prolong the lifetime of different types of culverts where water flows through.

“Now we have even more to offer”, tells Roland Lindberg, MD at Railcare Lining.

The business areas are:Railway drainage culvertsRoad drainage culvertsCulverts on industrial complexes

Approval inspections, where the condition of road and railroad drainage culverts’ is documented, is another new concept offered by Railcare Lining.

DOCUMENTATION ON SITE“The idea is generate the on-site documentation digitally”, says Roland. “We have developed a solution using an iPad to note all facts relating to, for example, culvert dimensions, the condition of connecting trenches, and also to take and store photos as evidential documents. All information is stored online and can be used in order to decide which culverts need maintenance. In order to make the solution really safe, we can use two

communicating iPads, one at each end of the culvert, to avoid unnecessary crossing of roads or tracks.”

INSPECTIONS FOR SWECOThis concept has been very successful and Railcare Lining has now made inspections of 20 road culverts for Sweco.“In addition to providing invaluable decision support, it is also perfect for helping generate accurate estimates and offers when the culvert needs to be refurbished.” |

Development of a new product

Railcare’s lining concept is being extended with a new product that can refurbish around two metre wide road drainage culverts, and a field test project has now been carried out. The widest lining, 1.8 m, was combined with a special light concrete that contains small bubbles of air. The result is an insulating, stable and environmentally friendly solution. The work can be done without any traffic interference.

THE RAILCARE LINING CONCEPT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO REFURBISH DRAINAGE CULVERTS WITHOUT TRAFFIC INTERFERENCE


The success continues for

Railcare ManagerRailcare’s method for lowering cables – the world’s best method, according to the managers

at Railcare – is now being applied frequently in track refurbishment projects all over Sweden.“One of the most important parts is Railcare Manager, our own web-based system for

documentation and control”, says Adam Sundin, production manager at Railcare.

Railcare Manager ensures that everybody involved in the lowering of cables has instant information regarding what is going on. The customer can also follow all the events, in their office or at home by the PC if he/she wishes. Besides the direct information all data is saved, forming a complete documentation of the cables’ positions. This is a well known problem, as old documentation might be available but is seldom accurate. Either the cables did not end up where intended, or later works, for example the addition of more cables, has moved the existing cables out of their documented position.“Using our method means you get an honest and accurate documentation which gives you complete control over any more jobs in the future”, says Adam.

MORE EFFECTIVE PROCESSRailcare Manager is used directly on-site where the supervisor enters all data on an iPad. This also makes

it possible to optimise the use of time and resources to make the work fast and effective, and similarly when it’s in connection with track exchange. The Railcare method for lowering cables means that the vacuum technique is used to expose the cables gently, and then the vacuum suction device is used to dig a deeper trench (normally around 1 m) where the cables are positioned. In this way they will be at a safe depth below the zone in which other future work will take place, and therefore sheltered from damage or breakage. |

THE CABLE’S POSITION AFTER LOWERING IS DOCUMENTED IMMEDIATELY



Many contributions to an internal photo challengeLast autumn Railcare had an internal photo challenge. The theme was “Railcare in everyday life” and around 100 pictures were received. The best ones were composed by Marcus Häggström, Adam Sundin, David Persson, Kåre Warnbrant and Magnus Karlsson. |

Thomas Ravelli, Sweden’s most distinguished and well-known goalkeeper whose highest honour was winning a bronze medal in the 1994 World Championship, has become

something of a Railcare mascot. Last year he was both a lecturer at Railcare’s internal training programme, and he participated in the Railcare stand at the Nordic Rail Exhibition.

Ravelli and Railcare Share the same philosophy

“It was a great success and Thomas helped draw a lot of attention to our stand”, says Daniel Öholm, CEO at Railcare. Thomas Ravelli is also very satisfied with the cooperation.“In the south of Sweden we generally think of northerners as quiet and reclusive. This doesn’t apply to team Railcare at all – everybody is open and sympathetic, and there is room for everyone to express themselves.” Thomas Ravelli is a well-known lecturer who shares his experience on how to become a successful athlete in a football team.“You have to have fun and realise that everybody’s competence counts”, he says. “Railcare and I share the

same philosophy. It’s not rocket science, I think we just have a tendency to complicate things unnecessarily.”Thomas and his twin brother Andreas, also a successful footballer, promote future athletes as well. They have recently founded a company selling sports clothing via different sports clubs. In 2013 the company’s turnover was 13 million SEK, generating a pay back of 6 million SEK to the clubs.Our cooperation continues in 2016; Railcare has hired Thomas as lecturer/coach to the local football club Railcare Rönnskär IF as a gift on its 90th birthday. |

A PENALTY CHALLENGE AGAINST THOMAS RAVELLI WAS A VERY POPULAR EVENT ON THE NORDIC RAIL EXHIBITION

MARCUS HÄGGSTRÖM ENTERED THIS PICTURE TAKEN IN TRÄSKHOLM AND BECAME ONE OF THE WINNERS IN THE RAILCARE PHOTO CHALLENGE


Express ballast exchangeat important railway hub

Ånge is one of the most important railway hubs in Sweden. In just 35 hours Railcare performed a ballast exchange on eight level crossings along a 300 m stretch.“Everything worked out very well, and I don’t think that we’d have been able to do this in any other way”, says the customer Pär Jonsson at Swedish Transport Administration.

To shut down railway traffic in Ånge – resulting in a total blocking of both freight and passenger traffic to and from the northern half of Sweden – is highly unusual and calls for very careful planning. In addition the activities to be carried out must be done with the highest efficiency. On this occasion, the actual stoppage was estimated to need 80 hours, yet Railcare finished the job in less than half that time.

STARTING WITH THE BASE“The ballast at one end of the railway yard needed to be exchanged”, says Pär Jonsson. “We also needed to do some additional work later on, but right now we decided

to prioritize the fundamentals in terms of ballast and sleepers, in order to do the rest when we have the means.”He followed the job on-site.“It worked out very well. Overall I am very pleased with Railcare, we not only get good feedback but we also good ideas that are valuable to us.” |



Speedy growthRailcare Logistik (now Railcare T) is the fastest growing company in region Västerbotten, and Hans Flodmark, MD, was honoured for this achievement. The awards organization Almi makes a top list every year based on the last two years of activities. Railcare Logistik’s increase in turnover was no less than 275%... |

New tunnel – new demandsThe new train tunnel through Hallandsåsen that was inaugurated in December 2015 poses new demands on the Swedish locomotive drivers. Because of its length special training is demanded before you are allowed to pass through. All Railcare drivers have now completed this training. The tunnel and its double tracks are 8.7 km long and were built from 1992 to 2015. It will both make the travel time 10 minutes shorter and increase track capacity substantially. |

Tobias succeeds RolandTobias Lindgren will be new MD at Railcare Lining, starting May 1st. He is 39 years old and was previously employed by the Nordic Light Group in Skellefteå. During his first few months he will work side-by-side with MD Roland Lindberg who will be retiring. |

Snow melter on iceThe highly devoted fans of the Skellefteå AIK hockey team will be getting used to a new player on the ice. Railcare has developed a radio controlled mini version of its snow melter machine, the SR 700 that will be driven out on the ice during the matches’ powerbreaks. Skellefteå AIK is the most recognized sporting trademark in Skellefteå where Railcare’s main office is situated.“We have a five year sponsor’s contract with Skellefteå AIK”, says Johan Forslund, project manager at Railcare. “We haven’t been a sponsor before, but we felt that we had a fun idea that gives both of us, and hopefully also the players, extra energy!” |

HANS FLODMARK RECEIVES HIS AWARD

THE ENGINE DRIVER PÄR-BRUNO PERSSON TOOK THIS PICTURE ON HIS PREMIERE TOUR THROUGH HALLANDSÅSEN

Railcare news is published by Railcare Group AB Näsuddsvägen 10, Box 34, SE-932 21 SkelleftehamnTel +46 (0)910-43 88 00, fax +46 (0)910-333 75 [email protected], www.railcare.seYou are welcome to reproduce the content, provided the source is stated


Minister becomes senior advisor

Good clearance with Robocut

Former Swedish infrastructure minister Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd will become senior advisor at Railcare.“We are very pleased with her appointment”, says Daniel Öholm, CEO at Railcare Group AB. “With both her great network and her valuable advice she will make a major contribution to our decision making in the future.”Catharina also appreciates being able to continue her work with infrastructure and mobility, as she feels they are very important issues.“To develop the right machines and the right methods for efficient railway maintenance is a very important matter”, says Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd. Railcare first came in to contact with her during her time as a governing minister.“We both formed very good impressions of each other, and Catharina’s positive personality fits well with the Railcare culture.” |

Effective and remote controlled. These two catchwords applies to most of the Railcare machines and methods, and it certainly does to the Robocut machines used for clearance of bushes and unwanted vegetation around railyards and railway tracks.“In connection with the snow removal assignment in Stockholm, we also performed vegetation clearance south of Stockholm from Gnesta to Stuvsta”, says Jonny Granlund, operational manager at Railcare. “The result is a much tidier railway! It doesn’t just look good either. Security is improved significantly when the locomotive drivers get a better view of the areas next to the track. There’s a lot of interest in Robocut, and we have several assignments in the pipeline with plenty of demos booked already.” |

Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd

Date post:	27-Jul-2016
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2016 RailcareNews Magazine

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