Technical Specification - Turnout Integrated System & Rail Expansion Joints
Technical Specification - Turnout Integrated System & Rail Expansion Joints
Technical Specification - Turnout Integrated System & Rail Expansion Joints
Design guidelines
Table of Contents
Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Manufacturing ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
8.1. General .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
8.2. Straightening and bending of rails......................................................................................................................................... 22
8.3. Machining and fitting .................................................................................................................................................................. 23
8.4. Holes ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
8.5. Rail ends ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 23
Submittals .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
10.1. Design and maintenance manual ........................................................................................................................................... 26
10.2. Drawings ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
10.3. BIM deliverables ............................................................................................................................................................................. 27
10.4. Design conformity documentation and certification ..................................................................................................... 28
10.5. Certification ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Scope
This specification covers the requirements for the design, manufacture testing and supply of turnout integrated
system and rail expansion joints for use on the Rail Baltica line.
The specification defines requirements for selection of the most suitable fully functioning turnout integrated system
from the life cycle cost perspective (incl. sourcing, installation and maintenance cost).
In the following, “turnout” shall be understood as turnout device alone, whereas “turnout integrated system” means
an integrated system including turnout and all necessary elements and subsystems necessary for optimum operation
and maintenance of the turnout.
In the following, “turnout” and “switch” have same meaning, and also includes the track crossings.
In the following, “point machine” and “switch machine” have same meaning.
The scope of the specification covers supplier’s responsibilities towards integration of all types of proposed turnouts
with track equipment, structure, earthworks, Energy sub-system, Control-Command and Signalling subsystem,
including all auxiliary systems required for turnout operation: switch drives, locks, actuators, switch heating,
predictive maintenance sensors and devices, etc. Scope of responsibility of supplier covers design, manufacturing,
factory testing and commissioning, as well as all necessary instructions, manuals and training material for installation,
testing and commissioning, operation, maintenance and dismantlement.
Rail Baltica main line, including passing loops, stations and service tracks necessary to its proper functioning;
Freight terminals, infrastructure maintenance facilities, rolling stock maintenance facilities, etc.
This specification concerns the rail expansion joints for long structures and other locations.
Reference documents
The document hierarchy of precedence in descending order shall be:
This Specification;
Design Guidelines;
TSI specification;
European Standards;
The following standards and specifications are referred to in this specification (when revised or amended, subsequent
revisions or amendments to these specifications shall apply).
The supplier shall make reference to the above documents for design, test, manufacture and supply.
Standard Title
2.2. TSI
Railways used are to be based largely on national regulations and requirements. The purpose of the new European
regulations is to standardise subsystems or components in order to reduce the cost of railways and to increase
competitiveness, as well as to make it possible for trains to run between different member states without technical
obstacles.
The following Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) is based on best available expert knowledge and is
related to the infrastructure subsystem of the rail in the European Union:
TSI Title
Standard Title
Switch and crossing rails used in conjunction with Vignole railway 46kg/m and
EN 13674-2
above
Standard Title
UIC 864-2 Technical specification for the supply of steel track bolts
UIC 864-4 Technical specification for the supply of fishplates or sections of fishplates
Technical specification for the supply of cast manganese steel crossings for
UIC 866
switch and crossing work
General requirements
Turnout shall be provided as a fully functioning turnout integrated system with all necessary systems required for
turnout operation: track, Control-Command and Signalling, point heating, predictive maintenance, etc.
The turnouts shall be designed for the respective speeds on deviated direction stated in Rail Baltica Operation Plan
and detailed in Section 4.3 below.
Only components with service proven records for application on track with at least the same or higher speed and axle
load, and a minimum of a period of 5 years’ service on such conditions, will be considered.
In order to cope with the environmental conditions of the Baltic countries, the integrated turnout solution shall be
designed and constructed in accordance with requirements of §8. “Environmental conditions for systems”, found in
RBDG-MAN-012 (Design Guidelines - “General Requirements”); in particular, all the exposed steel parts from the track
shall be protected against corrosion, except for the running rail.
All infrastructure components, including turnouts, switches and expansion joints, shall comply with a design life of
50 years.
For maintainability purposes, each type of turnout integrated systems and expansion joints shall be manufactured
from one source of supply and have dimensional tolerances to ensure that each component is interchangeable.
b) 1/40 inclination;
d) The turnouts shall be designed to be lubrication-free designed, for switch and frog tongue movements;
f) The turnouts shall be designed to be fully capable of withstanding longitudinal forces induced by the rolling
stock when braking with at least 2.5 m/s2;
g) The turnouts shall be equipped of a switch machine, switch locking and switch heating (Refer to RBDG-MAN-
022);
h) The turnouts shall be equipped with electric heating system, for switch/stock rail and movable crossing but
also for rods connecting locking devices to the switch machines;
i) The turnouts shall be equipped with hollow sleepers in which the locking devices with their rods are
integrated and protected;
k) Rail/wheel interaction compatibility: switches and crossings shall be designed to suit the wheel profile;
m) The assembly shall ensure continuous electrical contact for return traction current, for 25kV electrification
system;
a. Locking devices;
b. Devices enabling to detect whether movable components lay in correct required position and are
correctly locked;
q) The rail fastening system of the turnouts shall provide the same performance as the rail fastening system in
plain track;
r) The turnout shall ensure continuous electrical contact for return traction current, for 25kV electrification
system.
s) Turnouts shall be compatible with the use of magnetic braking systems for emergency braking;
w) Turnouts components (rails, concrete bearers, fastenings) shall comply with relevant components
specifications as described in the following Design Guidelines:
x) Derailing blades (trap points) shall follow the same requirements as turnouts
The expansion joints shall be designed to accommodate rail movement at least equivalent to the seasonal movement
(expansion and contraction) of the structural element which is required to accommodate, or to accommodate the
longitudinal movements of the interrupted continuous welded rail, or the combination of both;
Type and opening of expansion rail joints shall be determined in accordance with the rail structure interaction studies
for each civil engineering work, bridge or viaduct designed for the Rail Baltica project;
The expansion joints are made from rails profile EN 60E2, grade R350HT steel, as per EN 13674-1;
The assembly shall ensure continuous electrical contact for return traction current, for 25kV electrification system.
a) 40 km/h;
b) 50 km/h;
c) 80 km/h;
d) 100 km/h;
e) 130 km/h;
f) 170 km/h;
g) 230 km/h.
Proposed dimensions (for design purpose) for the turnouts are the following:
Crossing R A S V
Turnout L1 (m) L2 (m) L3 (m) L4 (m)
type (m) (degree) (km/h) (km/h)
60E-2500-
Fixed 94,306 47,153 47,153 47,153 2500 2,4012 130 200
1/26,5
60E-1200-
Swing nose 64.818 32.409 32.409 32.409 1200 3.0941 100 300
1/18.5
60E-1200-
Fixed 64.818 32.409 32.409 32.409 1200 3.0941 100 200
1/18.5
60E-760-1/15 Swing nose 54.216 25.305 28.911 28.911 760 3.8141 80 300
60E-760-1/14 Swing nose 54.216 27.108 27.108 27.108 760 4.0856 80 300
60E-760-1/14 Fixed 54.216 27.108 27.108 27.108 760 4.0856 80 200
60E-300-1/9 Fixed 33.230 16.615 16.615 16.615 300 6.3402 50 160
60E-190-1/9 Fixed 27.138 10.523 16.615 16.615 190 6.3402 40 160
These dimensions are indicative only and are subject to change depending on the supplier’s design.
Type of crossing
Use of swing nose crossings
a) On straight track where speed is > 200 km/h, turnouts shall be equipped with swing nose crossings;
b) On straight track where speed is ≤ 200 km/h turnouts shall be equipped with fixed crossings.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Rail profile EN 60 E2
TRACK INFORMATION
The design and selection of the type of expansion devices will be influenced by capacity guidance, gauge variation
due to longitudinal movement and site conditions. Design inputs are the following:
d) Expansion capacity of the expansion device and maximum displacement rail/support: to be provided by RB
Rail AS, once interaction calculations between track and structure will have been done;
ii. The slide chairs shall permit movement of rails, with resistance ≤5kN;
A reference point shall be made at the stock rail, in the vicinity of the tongue tip, in order to check the relative position
of both rails. The mean position is used for design, acceptance and installation.
a) The switch assembly, comprising the steelwork from the stock joint to the switch heel joint inclusive of all
rail, components and any baseplates extending beyond the switch heel;
b) The frog assembly from the internal to the external heel together with all components and baseplates and
any baseplates extending beyond the frog led ends;
c) Check rails assemblies inclusive of baseplates and baseplates for the running rail opposite the frog;
d) Baseplates shall include the provision of baseplates bedding pads, rail fastenings, baseplates anchorages (if
any) and any other associated components;
e) The operating mechanism shall include all drive rods and non-driven stretcher bars, the detection and
locking system, also position and locking detection devices. Interface with the signalling supplier will be
required to provide an in-bearer/motor unit at switch points and swing nose frog that meets the turnouts
requirements;
g) All running rail after the switch stock rail joints, as closures between the switch and the frog and outside the
frog and beyond the switch heel for the full extent of the turnout bearer (sleeper);
h) Manufacturer shall supply all specific extended and shortened turnout bearers needed for interfacing the
turnout with the running rail after the switch.
i) All rail fastenings inclusive of the rail pads for the direct fastening of the running rails to the concrete bearer;
j) Switch heating systems (for switch/stock rail and movable crossing but also for rods connecting locking
devices to the switch machines) shall also be supplied by the turnout manufacturer.
RB Rail AS may consider such offered specification, in particular any improvement in durability constructability,
maintainability and whole of life cost, and subject to mutual agreement, may adopt the supplier’s specification.
Component interface
requirements
5.1. General
The Track system (mainly rails / sleepers and fastenings / ballast / turnouts) shall be fully compatible with all systems
and equipment provided as part of the overall Rail Baltica Project;
The Track system shall support the transfer of physical loads between the vehicle and the infrastructure.
Interface between moveable parts and actuation, locking and detection equipment shall comply with EN-13232-4
and are described in Section 6.2;
Turnout integrated system supplier shall liaise with the CCS subsystem supplier to agree on the interface.
An initial prototype of each kind of turnout will be assembled and presented to the CCS subsystem supplier for the
purpose of testing to ensure the units meet the interface requirements, as specified in Section 9.3;
Heating systems shall be designed according to turnout type and local climate requirements in each station
separately and supplied by the turnout integrated system supplier. Solution shall be coordinated and approved by
RB Rail AS before production.
Interface with real time remote monitoring system shall be provided by turnout integrated system supplier for
acceptance by RB Rail AS.
The type and opening of the rail expansion joints to be used along the Rail Baltica project will be defined in
accordance with the civil works project, once the interaction between rail and structures will be determined.
Turnouts dimensions
6.1. Geometric specifications
Technical specifications of turnouts shall comply with the following parameters:
c) Maximum value of free wheel passage at crossing nose: 1356mm into service;
d) Maximum value of free wheel passage at check/wing rail entry: 1380mm into service;
e) Maximum unguided length of fixed obtuse crossings: in accordance with TSI INF 4.2.5.3;
Construction
Definition Nominal value (mm)
tolerance (mm)
Note (1): Maximum variation between concrete bearer next to each other is 1mm
a) In order to be able to measure the switch toe displacement (differential longitudinal displacement between
the switch rail and the corresponding stock rail), a reference point shall be placed on the stock rail;
b) For swing nose crossing in order to measure the swing nose displacement a reference point will be placed
on the wing rail;
e) Conceptual dimensions of actuator and locking system, including the drive, locking and detection positions:
Supplier to submit for approval to RB Rail;
g) Maximum actuation force applied Fa: Supplier to submit for approval to RB Rail;
h) Mechanical interfaces of all actuating, locking and detection devices: Supplier to submit for approval to RB
Rail;
i) Toe movement (fp) or switch opening at drive position (fd): Supplier to submit for approval to RB Rail;
l) The machining detail at the point of the switch and the drilling details for the point machine
drive/detection/lock rodding shall be specified by the signalling suppliers in the supplied drawings;
m) Calculations and verifications, specifically for the minimum flangeway, shall be done in accordance with
Section 4.2 of EN 13232-4;
n) For each type of turnout, test methods for switch or crossing panel mounted with the complete actuation,
locking and detection system shall be done in accordance with Section 5 of EN 13232-4;
o) Acceptance tests, standard testing (in case of deliveries of existing designs) and prototype testing, shall be
done in accordance with Section 6 of EN 13232-4. For both testing (standard and prototype), the delivery of
the turnout shall include the actuator and locking system.
General
Switch panel
Stock rails shall be made of EN 60 E2 profile;
Stock rails shall be one straight stock rail undercut for point details and one curved stock rail undercut for point details;
The switch rails shall be flexible, made of asymmetrical rail profile related to 60E2, with forged heel, in order to be
connected with closure rail. There must be no welds within the free length of the switch rail;
The machining detail at the point of the switch and the drilling details for the point machine drive/detection/lock
rodding shall be specified by the signalling suppliers in the supplied drawings;
The switch and stock rail design shall incorporate a device or devices for restraining the longitudinal movement of
the switch rail relative to the stock rail as a consequence of temperature fluctuation or any variations in longitudinal
forces due to the continuous welding of rails in and abutting the turnouts. The design of such devices shall be such
that no significant stress raiser is introduced into either the switch rail or the stock rail;
The stops anti-creeping devices shall be made of spheroidal graphite cast iron material, fixed with bolts inside the
stock rail, or equivalent “state-of-the-art” 5 years’ service proven technology;
The slide chairs, made of spheroidal graphite cast iron material, shall use Ni-Cr coating system or equivalent “state-
of-the-art” 5 years’ service proven technology;
Slide chairs are adapted in order to provide locking and point rail position detection systems and heating devices;
o Locking devices;
o Devices enabling to detect whether mobile components lay in correct position and are correctly
locked;
The supplier is encouraged to offer his proprietary specification as mentioned in Section 4.6.
Closure panel
Rails shall be made of EN 60 E2 profile, laid with 1/40 inclination;
Rails are fixed on elastic fasteners, including resilient pad and cast-iron baseplate laid on monobloc concrete bearers.
Crossing panel
Turnouts crossing part shall be swing nose technology (swing nose frogs) or fixed nose technology (rail-bound
manganese steel frogs), according to Section 4.3.2;
Swing nose crossings shall be equipped with forged block with weld-on-rails or bolted switch solutions;
The following example of swing nose is made of switches rails grade 350HT, jointed together by high
strength bolts (the technical drawing below is presented for information only):
The supplier is encouraged to offer his proprietary specification as mentioned in Section 4.6.
The supplier shall also supply details of in bearer rodding design for switch and frog locations.
Rail expansion joints shall be equipped with low longitudinal restraint fastening, according to the Rail Expansion Joint
design;
Rail expansion joints shall be equipped with special designed pre-stressed monoblock sleeper, equipped with under
sleeper pads.
Manufacturing
8.1. General
The turnout from the toe-end of the stock to the heel-end of the crossing, and includ-ing the cant reducing plates if
any, shall be mounted on suitable baseplates secured to the prestressed concrete bearers by the fasteners;
The rails on the end infill panel shall be mounted on baseplates which are placed di-rectly onto the concrete bearers
and secured by elastic fasteners;
All turnout components and expansion devices shall be plainly marked as indicated below:
a) Each half-set of switches shall have an identification marking fixed in the switch rail and/or the stock rail with
the following:
a. Supplier’s name;
c. Type of switch (radius of switch, main line radius, rail profile and hand of turnout);
b) Each crossing shall have an identification marking fixed on the crossing with the following:
a. Supplier’s name;
c) Each half set of expansion device shall have an identification marking fixed on the switch rail and/or stock
rail with the following:
a. Supplie’s name;
c. Expansion capacity;
Switch shall house and fit accurately to the stock rails for the full length required. The supplier shall provide a set of
accurate gauges for machining of switches and these shall be made available to RB Rail AS representative on request.
8.4. Holes
According to EN 13674-2 holes shall be drilled perpendicularly to the rail unless otherwise required and true to the
diameters and in the positions shown. Hot or cold punching of holes in rails shall not be permitted. Flame cutting or
blowing of holes in rails and fishplates shall not be permitted;
All holes shall be finished by machining a 1mm chamber on each side of the web of the rail.
9.2. Inspection
Inspection of switches and crossings, during manufacture, shall be done in accordance with Section 6.5 of EN 13232-
5, Section 6.5 of EN 13232-6 and Section 6.5 of EN 13232-7;
The supplier shall carry out the general nondestructive testing method of components using austenitic manganese
steel and/or other special materials and processes. The results of such testing shall be provided to RB Rail AS
representative on his/her request;
A weld map is to be prepared for all austenitic manganese steel casting produced. If the casting has no defect, the
weld map is to be clearly marked “No Defects”;
Inspections of expansion devices shall be done in accordance with Section 5.7 of EN 13232-8.
The following shall be carried out by the supplier for the first-off supply of each hand of turnout for any geometry:
a) Pre-assembly of the first of each hand of turnout (to be known as the “proto-type(s)”) for the purpose of
proving dimensions and operation, and for inspection by RB Rail AS representative, prior to proceeding to
deliver the balance of turnouts required under the Contract;
b) No welding of the prototype turnout will be required for pre-assembly. All pre-assembled turnouts will be
secured/clamped to prove dimension and op-eration, and for inspection by RB Rail AS representative;
c) Painting of all steelwork components in the prototype turnout(s) with a suitable and approved rust-
preventative treatment;
f) The turnout and/or the swing nose crossing motors shall be supplied by the Signalling supplier. The turnout
supplier must liaise with the Signalling supplier and test the turnout as applicable with the motors supplied
by the Signalling supplier.
For each type of integrated turnout system, acceptance tests, standard testing (in case of deliveries of existing
designs) and prototype testing, shall be done in accordance with Section 6 of EN 13232-4. For both testing (standard
and prototype), the delivery of the turnout shall include the actuator and locking system;
For each type of expansion device, testing and acceptance shall be done in accordance with Sections 6 & 7 of EN
13232-8.
Submittals
Except otherwise specified below, the supplier shall submit the documentation listed in section 7.5 of EN 13232-9.
The manual shall be provided in hard copy and must include all drawings and information required to install and
maintain turnouts and expansion joints. Drawings must include sufficient detail to enable the easy identification of
all components for the ordering of spares and replacement parts;
The manual shall provide full instruction of the installation, geometry tolerances and adjustment of the operating
mechanism, mechanical roller (if any), point motors, check rails, and flange way and inspection and maintenance
procedures as applicable.
10.2. Drawings
For the turnouts, the supplier shall provide general arrangement and installation drawings in soft and hard copies. In
addition, the supplier must provide a “footprint” drawing for each turnout type, defining track centerline, rail gauge
line, and bearer layout (bearer type and layout will be provided by the concrete bearers’ supplier);
For each type of switch, the supplier shall provide drawings containing the following information:
a) Machining profiles;
e) Surface
For each type of expansion joints, the supplier shall provide drawings containing the following information:
i. Machining profiles;
vii. Material;
viii. As a result of the design the supplier shall prepare the assembly documents in accordance with the
information given in EN 13232-9.
The BIM Execution Plan (BEP) shall be developed and agreed with the RB Rail AS during the inception phase of the
project. BEP template is part of Design Guidelines – RBDG-TPL-013
The BIM models shall correspond to minimum manufacturing level LOD400 (LOG and LOI) and shall follow the
requirements in Design Guidelines
RBDG-TPL-024 BIM Objects LoG MatrixThe BIM models shall be delivered in exchange (IFC2x3) formats and native file
formats. The native file formats shall be described in BEP.
All the Drawings shall be extracted and created from the BIM models and shall 100% correspond to the geometry and
information within the BIM models.
After the installation of the turnouts and expansion joints, the as-built BIM models shall be georeferenced and
delivered to the Cient in their real geographical locations and contain all the necessary attribute data.
All the required information about each of the elements shall be also added to the Client’s Asset Register.
Requirements in «BIM use cases for Construction and handover stage» which are part of the Construction Logistics
Study shall be followed.
a) An independent design verifier’s certificate to verify that the turnout or the expansion joint has been
designed in accordance with the requirements of this specifications;
b) Detail design calculations that demonstrate that the turnout or the expansion joint meets all the
requirements of this specification;
c) The supplier shall also provide the expected life of the turnout or the expansion joint.
10.5. Certification
The supplier shall provide test reports from an independent laboratory approved by RB Rail Representative for all
tests as stated in this specification prior to manufacture and/or prior to delivery of turnout or expansion joint.
A Project Quality Plan shall be prepared and be submitted to RB Rail AS for approval as a controlled document within
2 (two) weeks of the date of award of the contract;
If not otherwise required, records must be kept for at least 6 (six) years after the date of issue of the final certificate.
RB Rail AS reserves the right to perform inspections, at all times while the work on the contract of the Supplier is being
performed, of all parts of the Supplier’s work concerning the manufacture of rails ordered. The Supplier must, upon
being given reasonable notice, make or arrange to make available all facilities, documentation records, and personnel
details, including those of any subcontractors, that are reasonably required for the audit or surveillance to be
undertaken;
The Supplier shall afford the inspector, free of charge, all reasonable facilities and necessary assistance to satisfy him
that rails are being supplied in accordance with these specifications. Inspections will be conducted so as not to
interfere unnecessarily with the operation of the works or disturb normal mill production.
Additional information
requested
In addition to the mandatory requirements outlined in this specification, RB Rail AS reserves the right to request from
the Supplier information pertaining to the performance of their product under similar service conditions, with
particular emphasis on rail management aspects which may influence turnouts and expansion devices life-cycle costs,
i.e.: rail wear rates, rolling contact fatigue behavior etc.