Automated Manufacturing of Pre-Assembled Turnouts for Rail Infrastructure

Vossloh AG and Trafikverket are collaborating to integrate pre-assembled turnouts into the Swedish national rail network. This infrastructure project focuses on deploying high-capacity railway switches to support the long-term maintenance and renewal of the country's transportation grid.

Collaborative Framework and Operational Challenges
Trafikverket, the operator of Sweden's rail infrastructure, is executing a national modernization plan requiring continuous track maintenance and systematic component replacement. To address the scale of this modernization, the operator required a supplier capable of manufacturing and delivering large volumes of critical track components. Vossloh AG provides the specialized manufacturing capacity and technical integration necessary to fulfill these volume requirements.

Technical Solution and Production Architecture
Under this framework agreement, Vossloh is responsible for the manufacturing and delivery of pre-assembled turnouts. Turnouts are mechanical installations that guide trains from one track to another, functioning as critical routing nodes within the railway grid. To support the deployment scale, Vossloh has established a dedicated production facility in Sannahed, Sweden. This plant utilizes automated and robot-assisted manufacturing processes to construct the track components. By fully assembling the units prior to delivery, the system minimizes on-site installation time, mitigates assembly errors, and reduces track possession windows during infrastructure upgrades.

Infrastructure Deployment and Expected Impact
The deployment of these pre-assembled units directly targets the maintenance and renewal of the Swedish rail infrastructure. The automated production line at the Sannahed facility triples previous manufacturing output, achieving a production capacity of up to 900 turnouts per year. The framework agreement spans an initial five-year period beginning in 2027, with an option for a three-year extension, and is valued at approximately €70 million. This supply chain integration supports Sweden's broader National Plan, which allocates €45 billion toward rail infrastructure investments through 2037.

Oliver Schuster, CEO of Vossloh AG, outlined the strategic rationale behind the production capabilities: "We are stepping up the pace and continuing to contribute to the modernization of Sweden's rail network. With our new plant in Sannahed, we've made a deliberate investment in this partnership and are ready to reliably meet the growing demand."

Edited by Aishwarya Mambet, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

www.vossloh.com