Zurich cross-city link to be equipped with German technology

The bidding consortium of Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH / Sersa Group AG (Switzerland) has beaten off stiff competition to win an international tender for the installation of overhead conductor rail elements for the Zurich cross-city link (DML). By securing this contract, rail infrastructure expert Balfour Beatty Rail, which as part of the consortium Transtec Gotthard Partners is also responsible for the rail technology in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, has once again highlighted its credentials on the Swiss market.

The contract for the DML bidding consortium is worth around 4 million euros and encompasses the design, delivery, assembly, and commissioning of a total of 12.4 km of overhead conductor rail elements for the new twin-track line, as well as modification structures for the transition to a catenary system overhead line. The work is scheduled to begin in mid-2012, and is to be completed by the end of 2013. The new twin-track line will allow Zurich’s central station (Hauptbahnhof) to continue to meet the demands of acting as the transport hub for trains between eastern Switzerland (direction Bern) and western Switzerland (direction Basel).

Overhead conductor rails (DSS) represent an alternative to conventional catenary systems for use in tunnel construction, maintenance depots, and bridges. The components in the Balfour Beatty Rail TracFeed® DSS overhead conductor rail element system have proven their worth over many years in a range of tunnel systems and maintenance facilities in Germany and Scandinavia.