SWIETELSKY deploys its own cable infrastructure construction development for Deutsche Bahn

SWIETELSKY developed an innovative system for the mechanised installation of cable troughs for Deutsche Bahn in record time and secures a cable infrastructure construction project in northern Germany.

SWIETELSKY has been awarded a contract by Deutsche Bahn for cable installation in preparation for the comprehensive renewal of the railway line between Bremen and Bremerhaven, scheduled to begin in 2027. The project will use a cable infrastructure construction machine developed by SWIETELSKY, enabling the first fully mechanised installation of cable troughs.

Until now, cable troughs had to be installed manually and with the use of excavators in a laborious process, resulting in longer track closures. Due to the great economic importance of the northern German rail corridor, which connects the North Sea and Baltic Sea, the Baltic States and central regions of Europe, track closures are only possible to a very limited extent. The system developed by SWIETELSKY now makes it possible to achieve daily outputs of 1,500–2,000 metres, corresponding to a twentyfold increase in performance. The necessary works are carried out on the track in a continuous, assembly-line process, significantly reducing track closure times while also saving energy and resources. Approximately 85 kilometres of plastic cable troughs are to be installed during the works between Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Swietelsky impresses in Deutsche Bahn’s “cable infrastructure construction challenge”

The mechanised cable infrastructure construction system was developed by the railway construction experts at Swietelsky AG in record time as part of the “Cable Infrastructure Construction Challenge” tender initiated by Deutsche Bahn in 2022. The background: In the coming years, DB plans to install thousands of metres of cable troughs, including for the expansion of DB’s digital infrastructure. Given the previously laborious manual installation process, with a performance of only around 100 metres per day, longer track closures would have been necessary along various corridors. With the automated solution developed by SWIETELSKY, daily output increases significantly, reducing the construction period by up to 75%. Resource use is reduced by up to 80%; the need for site establishment areas, toll roads and land along the route is also reduced.

“The cable infrastructure construction system developed by our colleagues in railway construction is a milestone for infrastructure construction. Such a performance is only possible when excellent expertise, valuable experience and top-quality machines come together. At SWIETELSKY, we have consistently focused for decades on developing high-performance machines that are unique on the market, and above all on the know-how and commitment of our experts,” says Peter Krammer, CEO & COO Rail Construction, Swietelsky AG.

With this in-house-developed cable infrastructure construction system, Swietelsky AG underlines its innovative strength in railway construction and thus makes a decisive contribution to environmentally friendly railway infrastructure in Europe.