Rail Test Nordic (RTN), which is working to establish a unique train test track between Arvidsjaur and Jörn, wants to secure access to the track through a multi-year agreement with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket). Together with RTN’s new strategic partner, Akeab, the business model for the project is now being implemented based on a renewed in-depth analysis of the industry's needs.
“We have high hopes that we’ll have this in place in 2022. It is a complicated process in which we need to take account of many different stakeholders, but we are strengthened by the response. There is no doubt that the test operation is needed, and the route between Arvidsjaur and Jörn is unique”, says Magnus Tjernström at RTN.
Rail Test Nordic has established a collaboration with Akeab, a company that builds infrastructure with sustainability as its guiding light.
“Akeab has specialist competencies within civil engineering that are very valuable to the project. They can help in the management of all the important negotiations and arrangements needed to make the track work together with other elements of the infrastructure in the best way”, says Magnus Tjernström.
“We are very happy about this collaboration and being part of this progressive sustainable project that will support the growing train industry in Europe”, says Emilie Condrup Masior, COO at Akeab.
One of the proposed changes in the project is, among other things, that the 32 kilometers between Jörn and Glommersträsk will be a high-speed section for speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. The entire track will also be equipped to meet the requirements of STAX 25, which means 25 tons of axle load.
“It makes the route even more versatile. At present, there is no way to conduct important or urgent winter tests. This lack of testing facilities contributes to damage to wheels, bogies, suspension, and hundreds of other subsystems and parts. We can help reduce this, while at the same time significantly improving reliability.”
The background to the investment is the high number of inoperable trains which costs Sweden hundreds of millions every year. Vehicle faults, according to assessors, are the cause of one third of all inoperable trains, with a major problem being the lack of cold climate testing facilities. The proposed test track is unique in its kind - it is 75 kilometers long and unused, with an ideal topology and a varied climate, not least of which is the snow, ice, and cold during the winter. The route is one of the few in Europe where a test facility can be established without the kind of extensive investment that would render the project economically impractical.
“This is a big deal for the region, and we are very excited to be a part of it. As Unboxx is now intensifying its collaboration with Rail Test Nordic, I am joining the RTN board and will work actively on the project”, says Anders Tånger, CEO of Unboxx.
Akeab is a company within the Eleda group that builds infrastructure that is critical for society. Read more about Akeab here.