June 2021
Work on the lower layer of the reinforcement. Photo: Moritz Bernoully
Schöck Combar ensures safer tram system and reduced noise A great deal of investment is being made in the continued expansion of the Munich tram network in southern Germany. The latest construction work involves a thirdtrack being added just outside Munich Central Station. The use of Combar, the electrically non-conductive glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) from Schöck, greatly reduces noise levels at crossovers; and unlike steel solutions, poses no threat of interference to sensitive electronic track control systems
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he Munich tram system is expected to transport in excess of 110m people this year and the rail section outside Munich Central Station is particularly busy. During rush hour, up to six trams can run through this double-track section every ten minutes and a third-track expansion is underway to help make operational running smoother and more flexible. Traditionally, the track support slabs involved would be reinforced with steel. However, this can create a safety problem with the sensor system of modern point-blocking circuits, which work by creating a resonant circuit in the area of the crossover. As a tram approaches the crossover, its large steel mass affects the resonant circuit, which is sensed by the track control system. If the carrier plate is reinforced using steel, this disturbs the resonant circuit in a similar way and may lead to interference in the pointblocking circuit – making it much more difficult for sensors to identify the presence of the tram, thereby putting safety at risk. Any such risk is avoided by
A typical tram in central Munich
using Schöck Combar reinforcing bars, as the glass fibre reinforced polymer solution is neither magnetic, nor electrically conductive.
