Yesterday, ÖBB presented the new “Hydrojet” cleaning system for drainage pipes in railway tunnels in St. Paul im Lavanttal. This system is part of an ongoing tunnel maintenance development and is intended to make future maintenance work more efficient and easier.
Even greater infrastructure availability!
The hydrojet incorporates the new MDB02 Modular Drainage Flushing System for Railways, which is partially remote-controlled and automated. This system makes it easier to maintain railway tunnels and reduces the need for track closures. This increases the availability of railway infrastructure. Judith Engel, Member of the Executive Board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, says: “With growing traffic volumes and more tunnels, cleaning requirements are increasing while maintenance times are shrinking. This is where the remote-controlled, automated MDB02 modular railway drainage flushing system comes in: it cleans during operation, meaning that only a few short track closures are necessary for transportation.”
A revolution in railway tunnel cleaning
To ensure that tunnel drainage systems function reliably and continuously, they must be serviced regularly. Mineral deposits affect many tunnel structures, leading to a progressive narrowing of the drainage pipes and increased mountain water pressure. Until now, removing these deposits required time-consuming cleaning operations with multiple track closures per year.
The MDB02 marks the beginning of a new chapter. Tunnel cleaning is now automated, efficient, and can be done while rail traffic continue to run safely and without interruption.
Technical expertise from Vienna
For five years, Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH has supported ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG as an engineering partner in developing the MDB02, from testing and expanding the technical concept to presenting the final system. Pörner carried out the basic engineering, provided support for the detail engineering, drafted the technical specifications, and coordinated the complex interfaces between the system components. Thanks to its many years of expertise in plant engineering, the Pörner team made a decisive contribution to the MDB02's technical development and integration.
Michael Volkmann, Managing Director of Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft: "The MDB02 impressively demonstrates what is possible when engineering expertise, an innovative spirit, and partnership-based cooperation come together. A vision has been transformed into an operational, forward-looking system that takes the maintenance of Austria's tunnel infrastructure to a new level."
Efficient and remote-controlled
During drainage flushing, the state-of-the-art cleaning system is positioned directly above the central flushing shaft in the tunnel. This enables all drains in both tubes to be flushed remotely. The flushing nozzle, equipped with an integrated camera, is also threaded in from the maintenance base. Thanks to the new technology, it is now possible to clean significantly longer track sections. For instance, in the Granitzen Tunnel, over 2,000 meters can now be cleaned - compared to just 150 meters previously. After the flushing process, the MDB02 is transported to the next location during an operational break. Regular rail operations can continue during flushing.
This increase in efficiency is particularly relevant in view of the new large-scale projects, such as the Koralm Tunnel, the Granitztal Tunnel, and the Semmering Base Tunnel. The MDB02 opens up new application possibilities in existing tunnel systems – and, of course, in future new construction projects.
This innovative system enables ÖBB to combine necessary tunnel maintenance with increased route availability – a clear advantage for all passengers, railway companies and the shipping industry.
