“Accelerated Bridge Construction is a must for railroads. Renewal of infrastructure is also a must for railroads. HCB provided the opportunity to replace an aging steel bridge span at a difficult location with minimum interruption to train operations and our customer’s needs. A review of costs and installation considerations concluded that the HCB provided the least cost solution for ballasted construction with minimum interruption to railway traffic on this important line. Furthermore, it is expected that inspection and maintenance efforts will be reduced, which should also reduce interruption to rail operations in future. The final outcome of our project was excellent. Completing work within pre-established track blocks is critical for maintaining the safe and reliable railway operations needed to serve our customers. The HCB span was able to be installed in even less time than anticipated, providing us with the ability to “give back the track” and resume train operations quickly and effectively. The HCB installation was a resounding success and was able to be cost-effectively installed by our own construction forces with minimum interruption to rail traffic.”
For railroad bridge projects, there are no detours. Rapid bridge replacement is crucial. Crews must get in and out quickly, returning the railway to service with the shortest downtime possible. With the HCB system, railways can accomplish bridge construction quickly, safely and easily at a faster pace than with conventional construction methods.
Lightweight railroad HCB prefabricated modules allow for installation of longer spans with the same equipment and methods currently used, completing work faster than ever before.
With their unique composition of components, HCBs designed and manufactured for railroad loading have additional strength capacity up to 60 percent more than required by code. As of 2014, railroad bridges with HCBs have been exposed to 500 million gross tons of Class 1 rail traffic – exposure demonstrating the HCB’s proven technology for railway applications.