Germany’s Kübler Spedition is building a 32-axle heavy transport rail vehicle.
Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2020 and the unit will be used predominantly to shift heavy transformers on the German rail network.
Furthermore, Kübler Spedition has also invested in a 32-axle heavy transport rail vehicle, which has a capacity of 500 tonnes. The deal was struck with Austrian company ITB (International Low-Loader Rail Transport, a division of the Felbermayr Group), which will retain an ownership stake in the unit. It will be positioned at Kübler’s Mannheim terminal and is already available for customer use.
Heinz Rößler, owner of Kübler Spedition, and Thomas Grabuschnigg, division manager of Felbermayr-ITB, commented: “The joint use of equipment enables us to meet our customers’ requirements even faster with greater adherence to schedule.”
Thorge Clever, who is responsible for intermodal heavy transport and rail transport at Kübler, added that until now, there was just one similar vehicle in Germany which has a maximum load capacity of 454 tonnes, and it had to be booked well in advance.
In addition to the proportionate acquisition of a 32-axle vehicle, Kübler Spedition now has two identical vehicles from ITB at its disposal. Clever said that If appointments overlap, a replacement vehicle can be scheduled at short notice, for which the existing feasibility studies and timetables are still valid.
He added that thanks to lower axle loads, the trailers can travel on railways that have lower route classifications. “Additionally, the new vehicle can carry wider loads due to its maximum lateral side shift ability,” said Clever. “The new vehicle uses computer-controlled technology to move while the vehicle is in motion. This allows us to get past obstacles faster and reach the next point of evasion. We therefore assume there will be shorter overall transit times.”
Kübler explained that increasingly challenging road transport conditions have led to a rise in heavy railway transportation in recent times, and this spurred its decision to invest in its fleet and offer solutions in the 500-tonne class.
