Client : PRASA, Transnet & RACEC Rail (Pty) Ltd
Location :National / Duration : 11 Years
This most challenging Universal Sleeper Project entailed finding a solution to replace timber sleepers on existing timber designed turnouts with concrete sleepers.
The need to replace only the timber sleepers on turnouts with the steel hardware still in very good condition and refurbished loose crossing components available, required some innovative thinking and
led to the development of the universal concrete sleeper. The significance of the universal concrete sleeper in conjunction with the infra bolt system is instant standard sleepers are used, which can be mass produced and used in exactly the same way as timber sleepers. They are inserted under the track and only then are the bolt holes drilled.
- The design of the universal concrete sleeper is a world first.
- The sleeper is cast in long lengths and then cut to the required length varying from 2.1m to 6m.
Finding a suitable fastening system that would withstand the high lateral forces experienced in a turnout
was the biggest challenge.
All 2306 no Turnouts were upgraded under “live” train conditions.
Project Statistics
- One Turnout on average comprises 140m of sleepers totaling 322,840m’s installed
- One meter of sleepers weights 0.135 Ton, totaling 43, 584 Tons
- 3.9 holes are drilled per one meter of sleepers totaling 125,9076 holes
- Installation time approximately 700 man hours per set totaling 1,614,200 man hours incident free