Building a future ready, Heavy Haul railway line that stretches across the Gobi desert, eastwards through Mongolia to eventually link up with the Russian network leading to Vladivostok, totaling around 6,000 km, sounds both an exciting challenge and an opportunity.
Back in 2011, Pandrol’s technical team completed a successful PIU/UBTZ pilot project in Mongolia of the Fastclip FE rail fastening solution for future projects involving Mongolia Railway (now MTZ). This trial involved several sections of Pandrol Fastclip FE 1504 (H.H), on UBTZ tracks. This pilot project used the panel build track construction method involving many different types of track, tight curves & gradients.
As with the initial trials & under normal circumstances, a member of Pandrol’s specialist training team would always travel to the work site to carry out inperson training on the installation of the fasteners with the sleepers. However, border closures and travel restrictions associated with COVID-19 made this impossible, with the first big installation, so Pandrol adapted its training to an online format. The training covered how to install a fastener to a sleeper, how to build a track, plus how to inspect and maintain the track once installed.
Pandrol’s team also advised on suitable equipment for installation. The Rosenqvist Clip Driver CD200 IQ was selected for installation of the track.
The second stage of the project, which started in 2019 was to connect the Sainshand-Baruun-Urt-Khuut railway with the Tavantolgoi-Zunbayan, Khuut-Bichigt, and Khuut-Choibalsan rail lines.
The total length of the track in this phase was over 400 km and it was constructed using pre-assembled sleeper panels with integrated rail fasteners, with the second half of the track being built using loose sleeper laying techniques by MTL the local private contracting & engineering company.
The Sainshand-Baruun-Urt-Khuot railway line will transport up to 12 million tons of coal annually once the extensions & connections have been completed.
A further phase of this huge project is the Zuunbayan – Hangi Mandal line where Fastclip FE fasteners for the 180km stretch of track has been completed by MTL using Rosenqvist Clip Drivers CD200 IQ.
A significant challenge on this project was dealing with the extreme conditions in the Gobi desert, which is known for its extreme climate and rapid temperature changes throughout the year, the conditions are exacerbated by the incessant wind & sand storms caused by the Siberian anticyclone.
It was therefore extremely important that work on site could be completed quickly and efficiently with installation of the sleepers being a prime constituent, the use of mechanical help from the Rosenqvist machines made a significant difference in speeding up the installation of the track.
The Pandrol Fastclip FE 1504 (H.H) was specified as the fastening system for this project as it provides higher longitudinal restraint, therefore preventing railway creep. It also ensures higher clamping force, which is required in this very demanding track, where temperatures can fall well below 40°C in winter & well above 50°C in summer.
Specially designed for heavy haul applications, this resilient, threadless rail fastening system contains the unique Pandrol “switch on – switch off” function that enables fast, efficient track installation and reduced maintenance costs. The benefit is that sleepers can arrive on site with all components held captive and the clips set at the parked position, making the whole process of track construction that much quicker and more efficient. In single sleeper laying, once the sleepers are placed and the rail has been threaded, clips are simply pushed from the parked to the installed position for rapid installation.
Pandrol has hosted delegates from Mongolia, including officials, railway executives and industry leaders at the factory in Worksop, UK on a number of occasions. Delegates have undertaken Pandrol site visits, laboratory tours and factory walk-throughs to give them a first-hand experience of the manufacturing processes and technological capabilities, which created a better understanding of the company’s expertise and commitment to quality assurance. The visit served as a critical platform for knowledge exchange and the exploration of potential future collaborations.
This and subsequent visits by the Mongolian delegation to Pandrol’s factory created a strong partnership, with a shared commitment to advancing rail technology and infrastructure development. The collaboration between Pandrol, Mongolia Railway and local track contractors represents a significant step forward in the development of modern, efficient and sustainable rail infrastructure in Mongolia.
The success of these projects was reinforced by the close working relationship between Pandrol’s technical teams and the Mongolian team on the ground. Pandrol’s training and technical support for contractors and employees served not only to improve the quality of rail infrastructure but also created a transfer of knowledge and skills.
So far, rail fasteners have been supplied to create over 800km of the track for Mongolia Railways, which, when completed, will become one of the longest, potentially, heavy haul railway lines in the world.
