TU Graz and voestalpine open Europe’s most advanced railway test rig

Graz University of Technology and voestalpine have unveiled what they describe as Europe’s most advanced railway test rig, ORF reported on Thursday.

The rig will be used to better understand, test and develop the interaction between rail vehicles, tracks, track structures and the ground beneath them. The project received a total investment of four million euros.

“It is highly interesting for our students to conduct research using state-of-the-art infrastructure,” TU Graz Rector Horst Bischof said. “They can apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. The test rig also has another advantage: Instead of carrying out measurements on the railway, I can conduct the tests here, work much faster and bring products into use more quickly.”

voestalpine also contributed to the project. Executive board member Franz Kainersdorfer said the facility would give Styria a competitive advantage in railway infrastructure.

“We can now use the test rig to study the interaction between the components in real conditions, including the rail, fastening, sleeper and substructure, as well as the loads placed on the infrastructure when trains pass over it,” Kainersdorfer said.