28.05.13
Translink trials new ballast cleaning method
Translink has been trialling a new ballast cleaning machine, on loan from Irish Rail (Iarnrod Eireann).
Northern Ireland transport minister Danny Kennedy visited the On-Track Ballast Cleaning Machine along with Translink group chief executive Catherine Mason and infrastructure executive Clive Bradberry (pictured above).
The machine removes, rehabilitates and replaces the track ballast along the railway line by removing the stone from underneath the sleepers, extracting unwanted materials and smaller stones through various screens and filters, and finally reinstates the suitably-sized ballast on the trackbed under the sleepers.
Where required, the track is topped up with new ballast to replace the old inferior stone removed from the trackbed.
Translink said: “This method of working will help to avoid the requirement for full track removal and relay operations and potentially greater disruption for residents and passengers.”
The trial, which took place between Newry and Poyntzpass, was completed on Saturday.
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