Vossloh celebrates the inauguration of the first series production for the EPS composite sleeper developed in-house

Together with customers and partners, Vossloh has inaugurated the new production facility for the series production of its proprietary Engineered Polymer Sleeper (EPS) in Nowe Skalmierzyce, Poland.

The ultra-modern and largely automated production line will initially manufacture around 100,000 composite sleepers per year. The product portfolio will include track and turnout sleepers as well as special products for railroad bridges. The EPS are made from secondary raw materials and are fully recyclable at the end of their 50-year service life. An innovative tool concept enables the product design to be quickly adapted to customer requirements. The production process complies with all European energy standards and the topic of sustainability was also a focus from the outset when designing the individual production steps. For example, only green electricity is used in production and energy is recovered and reused wherever possible.

The composite sleepers are the successful result of more than ten years of development work by the experts at Vossloh. The aim was to create an ecological composite sleeper that combines the positive properties of concrete, wood and polymer sleepers. This is made possible by the innovative material amalentic. The isotropic material meets the most important product requirements to a particularly high degree, such as high weather resistance, low thermal expansion, high track stability and stable track gauge.

"Both the EPS product itself and the ultra-modern production facility are masterpieces by the engineers involved. With our new composite sleeper, we are creating a sustainable and durable alternative to wooden sleepers, which are no longer allowed to be used in more and more countries around the world due to their impregnation with chemicals that are harmful to the environment and health. In future, our latest innovation can be used wherever technical requirements mean that concrete ties cannot be substituted. At Vossloh, we not only enable green mobility, but also do so in a sustainable and responsible manner. I am very confident that this product, with its outstanding product properties and exemplary eco-balance, has a successful future ahead of it," says Oliver Schuster, Executive Board Chairman of Vossloh AG.