Vossloh : Complete rail audit of the tram network in Le Havre

The network operator Compagnie des Transports de la Porte Océane (CTPO, a Transdev subsidiary) contracted Vossloh to determine and analyze the condition of the track rail infrastructure of Le Havre's entire tram network. The latest measurement and testing technology together with high-performance analysis software were used to supply the network operator with detailed documentation. This documentation then provided the basis for evaluating individual track sections in order to further optimize the maintenance budget.

The 26km-long tram network in Le Havre was subjected to a comprehensive audit between February 9 and February 22, 2018, during which Vossloh teams from Germany and France met to carry out differentiated measuring and diagnoses of the condition of the rails and the track.

'On a day-to-day basis, the network's quality is assured by our own maintenance technicians,' said Eric Lang, Contracts and Technical Project Manager at CTPO, referring to the decision to use Vossloh's services 'but after five years of operation, and in order to obtain a precise and global analysis of the rails' condition, we have decided to work with Vossloh's expert teams.' The analysis will then allow to implement an individual and efficient maintenance strategy.

19 to 22 trams travel daily over the standard-gauge, dual-track network which comprises two tram lines and 23 stops. During the peak period, the trams operate in intervals of three minutes on the network's main section.

Precisely planned night shifts
'To be able to inspect all of the 52 kilometers of rail during the short night shifts and digitally record the rail defects or parameter deviations, we had to plan the simultaneous deployments of the teams as precisely as possible' recalls Emmanuel Ettighoffer, project manager at Vossloh, commenting on the project's precision timing. It therefore proved helpful that all the profile measuring devices and material testing equipment are manually guided and can be on-railed and off-railed quickly.

A number of different measuring procedures and techniques were used to create a complete picture of the current condition of the harbor city's rails and track. These procedures and techniques are known for delivering very accurate and reliable measurements.