Noise-plagued rail residents have a lot of hope on the absorber rings.
Now, for the first time, a Lint train equipped with it was on the move.
Result: The hope for improvement is justified.
Gmund / Holzkirchen
- The first attempts sounded promising - namely quietly.
Last week, a Lint train of the Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) equipped with absorber rings was on the move on two days.
And as Arnulf Schuchmann, Technical Director of the BRB, reports on request, the tests were “really positive”.
In other words: The new wheels on the trains were noticeably quieter than the conventional ones.
If this impression is solidified in further tests and if politicians and the Bavarian Railway Company agree to provide the financing, the entire BRB fleet - 31 railcars - could be equipped with the whisper wheels.
The conversion, Schuchmann estimates, would take around a year.
The wheel flange lubrication system in Gmund has brought a noticeable improvement
A lot has happened since the first big outcry about the squeaky Lint trains. This also admits the criticism. Rudi Probst from Gmund from the “Endstation Lint” initiative, for example, expressly praises the wheel flange lubrication system that the Tegernsee Bahn, as the infrastructure operator, has now installed at Gmunder Bogen. “The screeching is gone,” says Probst. He and his colleagues would have liked to hear whether the absorber rings in the wheels also reduce noise pollution. "It would be nice if we could watch this together with the BRB." But Schuchmann refused. On the one hand, there are a few security hurdles to be overcome. On the other hand, the railway worker hardly makes a secret of this, the desire is manageable to criticize those people who loudly and constantly - and from the point of view of the BRB sometimes improperly - criticize,to put on the track for hours.
The rails and track bed are currently being brought into shape
At least as far as the noise hotspot Gmund is concerned, no rail traffic can be heard this week.
The Tegernsee Bahn brings rails and track bed into shape on various sections.
According to Schuchmann, this will also affect the acoustics of the trains.
How exactly must be found out in the company.
Incidentally, DB Netz AG, which owns the remaining lines in the Oberland network, has done a hand at the train station in Schaftlach.
These days the damage there (we reported) should be repaired.
It can take even longer before all trains are fitted with absorber rings
The train, which is now equipped with the absorber rings, was still traveling without passengers. First, the structural change must be reported to the Federal Railway Authority, and according to Schuchmann, a corresponding report is required. The rings prevent vibrations in the wheels. Put simply, it's like a bell that doesn't sound when you strike it. The wheels are manufactured in the Ruhr area and mounted on axles that the BRB first has to send there. The rail operator has an exchange kit (16 axles); installation and removal take two to three days. It will take a correspondingly long time until the 30 other railcars have been converted. And the 480 bikes have to be built first.
