Heavy haulage for the rail industry and rolling stock manufacturing
Rail vehicles run on rails – but by no means always to where they are needed. New vehicles without approval for the destination network, trams without a rail connection to the plant, damaged locomotives or exports to networks with a different track gauge: in all these cases, road transport is the answer. Oversize Transports moves rail vehicles and rail technology with individual weights of up to 200 tonnes – across the EU and via our own corridors to Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Vehicle manufacturers, transport operators, track construction companies and workshops receive the complete handling from a single source.
Typical loads from the rail sector
- Rail vehicles: locomotives, car bodies of multiple units, trams and metro cars, special wagons
- Components: bogies, wheelsets, transformers and drive systems
- Track construction technology: tamping machines, ballast regulators, road-rail vehicles
- Infrastructure: points and point components, signal gantries, level crossing technology
- Workshop equipment: underfloor wheel lathes and lifting systems
Process: feasibility, permit, transport
In the feasibility study we compare the vehicle dimensions, weight and centre of gravity against the road route – including bridge load ratings, headroom and the access to the plant, depot or loading point. You receive a fixed-price quote covering the complete service. We then obtain all permits: the authorisation under StVO §29 in Germany, the equivalents in the transit countries and BF3/BF4 escort vehicles as required. The transport runs under a dedicated project manager with 24/7 availability; we coordinate loading by crane or via a rail ramp with the manufacturer, the transport operator and the crane partner – including securing the lifting points in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
Equipment and particular requirements for rail vehicles
Locomotives with a service weight of 80 to 90 tonnes and car bodies over 20 metres long call for low-loaders and modular trailers with precise load distribution. Rail vehicles are also more sensitive than their mass suggests: lifting points, centre pivots and permissible support points are defined by design and are adopted as binding inputs into the loading plan. For trams and metro vehicles we plan delivery right onto the depot track, so that the vehicle can be re-railed directly and handed over for acceptance – including agreeing crane, spreader beams and time windows with the transport operator.
Series deliveries, breakdowns and the track construction season
New vehicle procurements run over months: transport operators accept trams or multiple units at a fixed rhythm, and every delivery has to fit the acceptance plan, staff training and workshop capacity. We dispatch such series as one overall project – the same procedures, the same contacts, reliable punctuality from the first vehicle to the last.
Breakdowns follow the reverse logic: a derailed or damaged vehicle has to reach the repair shop at short notice, often without being able to be loaded under its own power. For such transfers we coordinate recovery, crane and transport with the workshop and the operator and keep the permit procedures as short as the authorities allow.
In track construction, in turn, possession windows dictate the calendar: tamping machines and road-rail equipment have to be on site exactly when the work window opens, because every lost night extends the closure. We time delivery and return to the possession – including across several sites in one season.
Rail projects towards the Caucasus and Central Asia
Between the European standard gauge network (1435 mm) and the broad gauge networks of the Caucasus and Central Asia (1520 mm), a continuous rail route is often not practicable – road transport by low-loader is then the reliable alternative for new vehicles and rail technology. We run via the sanction-free Middle Corridor (Turkey–Georgia–Caspian Sea), completely bypassing Russia and Belarus, and check the sanctions situation before every shipment. We handle customs and transit clearance with T1 or TIR throughout – up to handover at the destination network.