Project report Podkarpacka Kolej Aglomeracyjna

In 2023, more than 374.4 million people used rail transport in Poland - an increase of 9.4% compared to 2022 and the best result since 1999. This development is mainly favoured by two factors: rising fuel prices and a growing awareness of the need for environmentally friendly means of transport. However, the increase in passenger numbers also brings challenges, including the modernisation and expansion of the vehicle fleet. New rail vehicles require modern service and maintenance facilities. A current example of such an investment is the Podkarpacki Kolei Aglomeracyjna (Carpathian Foreland Railway) in Rzeszów, for which KRAUSE planned and built a comprehensive technical infrastructure for the maintenance of various train types.

Key challenges of the project

The biggest challenge of this project was its complexity. The task was to deliver various customised aluminium structures that all served the same purpose: To enable maintenance work at great heights. However, despite the common purpose, the structures differed significantly in design, dimensions and functionality. Each of these structures had specific requirements that challenged the KRAUSE team in many ways. Starting with the design aspects, through the selection and processing of high-quality materials that guarantee stability and durability, to the assembly, which posed a major challenge for work platforms several dozen metres long, the skills and experience of the KRAUSE team were put to the test.

The second, more sophisticated construction was a mobile work platform whose position in the service hall can be flexibly adapted to current requirements. This construction extends over a length of almost 30 metres and is easily accessible from both sides via access steps. The KRAUSE engineers developed a solution with a segmented design, in which the individual work platform segments (each 4.5 metres long) are connected to each other with connecting clamps. These clamps can be released if the location of the working platform needs to be changed. Once the connecting clamps have been opened, the platform segments can be manoeuvred efficiently and conveniently and the length of the working area can be flexibly adjusted at the same time. This in turn is made possible by the ability to connect any number of centre segments to the work platform, allowing the length of a work platform to be flexibly adapted to the respective workplace. 

The use of the highest quality materials ensures that the stability of the platforms is guaranteed and that the segments can be moved easily and comfortably by working personnel.

The structures designed and manufactured by the KRAUSE team fulfil the high and very complex requirements of customers in terms of ergonomics and flexibility. The customised solutions offer comfortable and safe workplaces for maintenance personnel and at the same time reduce the time required for service work. This minimises train downtimes in the depot and increases efficiency in terms of utilisation times and the productivity of the entire company.