In highly regulated markets, there are clear rules for the use and selection of technology, whereas in less regulated markets, greater adaptability is required. The work requirements for the machines vary greatly and also depend on the type of railway operation. For example, the requirements of high-speed railways differ from those of heavy-haul railways, although there is some overlap in the requirements profile. Our aim is to offer ideal solutions tailored to individual requirements for an efficient railway infrastructure worldwide. Therefore, our focus is not only on developing our most powerful performance machines, which aim for maximum productivity and decarbonization, but we also attach great importance to our portfolio of compact track maintenance machines. These machines meet the needs of markets whose regulatory and performance requirements are lower.

In many countries in Africa, South America, or Asia, machines from the Compact portfolio can optimally utilize these strengths. But even in Europe, where the authorization process and operation of track maintenance machines is very strictly regulated, there are specific applications where these compact track maintenance machines are popular, such as narrow-gauge railways with no connection to a public rail network or metro or road-rail applications.

Meet the Plasser CompactTamper series

Our Compact series covers the entire spectrum of track maintenance, from tamping and stabilization to profile finishing. The machines achieve a work result comparable to that of related products in the rest of the portfolio. The fact that they can be used in track gauges from 1,000 to 1,676 mm, small vehicle gauge profiles, and low axle loads of well under 20 tonnes means that they can be used in practically every region of the world.

The compact tamping machines are available in two sizes: Plasser Compact and Plasser Compact L for plain-line track as well as Plasser CompactFlex and Plasser CompactFlex L for treating plain-line track and turnouts.

There are various designs of tamping units for these machine types. They all work according to the time-tested Plasser & Theurer tamping principle and are optimized for specific application scenarios. They can be configured rigidly, as a split-head tamping unit, with tilting tines or, if more output is required, even as a 2-sleeper tamping unit. In addition, flexibly configurable trailers expand the range of functions. They can be adapted to individual requirements with features such as a sweeping unit, centre and shoulder ploughs, loading crane and loading area, fuel or water tank, or a post-measuring function.

Strong demand for Compact series machines

A series of Plasser CompactFlex tamping machines is currently being manufactured at the cutting-edge production site in India. The factory, which opened in Karjan in 2019, has state-of-the-art equipment. 100 machines can be manufactured here in one year. More than 1,600 employees work in 46,000 m² of space under the highest standards for quality, health, safety, and the environment.

Pre-production of the machines in stock makes it possible to achieve rapid availability and lower costs through economies of scale in series production. Final adaptation of the configuration based on the respective customer’s requirements is possible thanks to the ModularCustomizing design of the machines. For example, additional equipment such as the self-loading device for loading the machine onto an articulated lorry as well as the 3rd-rail lifting unit and the HRL Levelling and Alignment Laser can be configured at a later date.

The reason why we opted for a small series is because the demand for compact tamping machines is constantly increasing. The largest current project is the fleet renewal of the Taiwan Railway Corporation. In September 2023, a contract was concluded for the delivery of a total of 41 machines. It includes 20 Plasser CompactFlex 4x4 universal tamping machines and 7 Plasser Compact L 2X plain-line tamping machines, 7 Plasser CompactStabilizer track stabilizing and compacting machines, and 7 PBR 400 U-RS ballast distributing and profiling machines. Delivery is planned in stages from 2025 to 2026 and will make a significant contribution to maintaining and improving the high quality of the railway infrastructure in Taiwan.

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