Palfinger: Innovative Lifting Solutions for Rail Infrastructure

Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) is purchasing 56 new vehicles from Plasser & Theurer in a first installment. PALFINGER, the crane and lifting solutions specialist, is equipping 51 of them, to guarantee safety and reliability on the track.

Austria is the number 1 country for rail travel in the European Union. To maintain the cost-effectiveness and performance levels of all lines, ÖBB-Infrastruktur is updating its fleet of maintenance vehicles. 50 modern 4-axle high-performance electric tower wagons and track wagons with an innovative electric-hybrid drive are being purchased. 

The contract for building the vehicles was awarded to rail construction market leader Plasser & Theurer in the course of a Europe-wide tender. To equip the new fleet, Plasser & Theurer is relying on its trusted partner Palfinger with its innovative and pioneering crane and lifting solutions. 

As part of the investment in ÖBB’s fleet of maintenance vehicles, more than 100 innovative railway systems from Palfinger will be deployed. The new vehicles will be used to maintain and repair overhead lines, to handle technical defects as well as storm damage and to conduct maintenance in tunnels – in other words, for tasks where fast, efficient and safe work is a priority. “In this connection, ÖBB chose the complete solution consisting of our proven PA 240 and PA 1002 access platforms which are specifically designed for railway work and the PFD 99 positioner which we have adapted to the ÖBB’s innovative requirements. In view of the increasingly demanding applications, we have also developed a new railway crane with greater lifting capacity, a wider outreach and a pivoting basket: the PKR 370,” explains Florian Renner, Area Sales Manager at Palfinger Railway.

The arm systems of the PKR 370 and the PA 240 access platform are also fitted with a safety bar. This guarantees safe maneuvering when parking in respect of the overhead lines. Another tailor-made innovation are the access platform baskets which can be lowered in the vehicle roof during transfer trips. This shortens set-up times, and thus speeding up deployment. The market leader for crane and lifting solutions once again proves that the customer’s work routines can be made easier and better with custom-made products.