BUERS, Austria & KUDAMATSU, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rail vehicle manufacturer Hitachi has extended its supply contract with Getzner as part of the British Department for Transport's IEP. Up until 2018, the vibration protection expert will be equipping all trains manufactured for the IEP with elastic bearings for floating floors.
Getzner is the supplier of vibration mitigation materials for floating floors in the second phase of the IEP. “Rail cars with vibration isolating floors are considerably quieter than conventional rail cars,” explains Tomoko Takekawa, General Manager of Getzner Japan. In 2014, the British Department for Transport decided to invest in new high-speed trains (122 in total) as part of a rail investment programme, which are being developed and manufactured at Hitachi Rail Europe’s Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Facility (RVMF) in in Newton Aycliffe (England). Getzner has been the supplier of vibration protection for the IEP trains since 2014. Due to the successful collaboration, at the start of 2016 Hitachi extended the contract to include Phase II for the fleet on the East Coast Main Line. This results in a total order volume of approximately 78.000 elastic strips of the material Sylomer® FR – the largest order of floating floors in rail cars since the founding of Getzner. Catherine Easter, Category Manager Interiors at Hitachi Rail Europe comments on the collaboration: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Getzner – it has been a pleasure working with them.”
Elastic bearings reduce noise levels and wear
The high-tech materials from Getzner are extremely effective despite their low overall height. Both rail operators and passengers benefit from vibration mitigating floating floors. For the operators, vibration-isolating floors have a positive effect on the capacity and ride comfort of the train. On long-distance and high-speed lines in particular, the railways compete directly with air travel. “Experience shows that travellers tend to opt for rail if, in addition to short journey times and punctuality, an appropriately high level of comfort is provided,” confirms Tomoko Takekawa: “Our floating floors enable to meet the required noise levels, and the elastic mounting of the floor also reduces material wear and maintenance costs.”
