Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (Ireland) won a competitive tender in 2022 to overhaul four tampers and one ballast cleaner.
While the ballast cleaner, 781, was overhauled in Ireland over three winter phases, the remainder of the machines were overhauled at RailTec in Spremberg, Germany. A sister Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (RRSG) company, it specialises in major overhauls of all types of OTMs.
This was the first time machines were sent abroad to be overhauled under the operate and maintain model that Irish Rail implemented in 2014.
A significant amount of pre-planning was carried out in conjunction with Irish Rail to ensure minimum disruption to planned works. A schedule was agreed as each machine which was sent overseas would be out of service for approximately six months.
All the works also had to be concluded – and the machines back in the country – before the final day of the Operate and Maintain contract in mid-July 2026. While there were two and a half years to carry out the overhauls, only one machine could be abroad at any one time, meaning adherence to the schedule was critical.
The first machine to travel overseas was 742. It suffered some delays due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the invasion disrupted the movement of major machinery in the region. Despite the delay, it safely arrived in Spremberg and the overhaul was successfully carried out.
After 742 was returned, it underwent testing and commissioning before re-entering service. Afterwards, 743 was sent, followed by 751 and finally, 744.
744 returned in mid-May and after testing and commissioning, entered service in the final week of the 2019-2026 contract.
The one machine which was overhauled in Ireland was the ballast cleaner, 781. This was largely for two reasons.
Firstly, it is such a large machine that transporting it abroad would be a huge logistical challenge. Secondly, if it was out of service for a prolonged period of time, it would have a major impact on the planned disruptive possessions that Irish Rail had scheduled on the network. It was deemed that six or seven months was too long to have 781 out of service and therefore it would be better to carry out staged overhauls during the winter.
The ballast cleaner was successfully overhauled across three winters campaigns and it currently working a busy schedule across the network.
The major overhauls mean that the working lives of the machines are extended, therefore delivering greater value for the network and travelling public.
