Herman Boswijk, City of Amsterdam, Metro and Tram, Project Centre:
Along the route of the IJtram (the tram link between IJburg and Amsterdam Central), the rail support slabs have subsided slightly at a number of locations over time. Using the URETEK FloorLift® method, these rail support slabs in IJburg have been raised back to the correct height.
Herman Boswijk, tram adviser at the City of Amsterdam, explains: “The IJtram’s transport capacity is being expanded by introducing coupled trams. To make this possible, a number of measures were required in addition to the expansion of the IJtram depot. One of these was correcting the position of the rail support plates at two crossings. We carried this out in consultation with De Wilde Spoorwegbouw, KWS and with the help of URETEK. De Wilde Spoorwegbouw was responsible for the measurements and for raising and shimming the track in the adjoining ballast bed. URETEK carried out the lifting and underfilling, and KWS finally repaired the local adjoining pavements.”
Good collaboration
The rail support plates are fitted with an embedded track and had subsided over a length of 2 x 32 metres and 1 x 18 metres of single track. Over time, differences in height of a few centimetres had developed. “During a long period of track closure over the Easter weekend, the work at the two sites progressed very smoothly,” says Herman Boswijk. “This was thanks to the good cooperation between the parties. The URETEK team carried out their work calmly and professionally, whilst De Wilde Spoorwegbouw used a crane to apply the necessary counter-pressure and ensure the correct dimensions. The whole process was carried out in a very controlled manner, which immediately inspired confidence.”
An excellent solution
“It was marvellous to see how the rail support plates, including the rails, were raised back into position. They were realigned as a single unit, lengthways, by rail. Next, the connecting tracks in the ballast bed and the adjoining surfacing still needed to be repaired. This was carried out by De Wilde Spoorwegbouw and KWS. I am satisfied with the end result. We therefore intend to tackle the issue in the same way at two other locations, including one in IJburg. An excellent solution to such a specific problem!”
