Roxtec International AB
The Importance of Preventing Rodents in Rail Infrastructure
This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 1 2023.
Rodents, and especially rats, are a common threat to critical equipment along the railway.
They can cause major disruption to electrical and signalling systems by chewing through cables. By damaging equipment, rats do not only cause downtime and costly repair work. They also cause fatal accidents. Therefore, it is crucial to seal cable, conduit and pipe entries in a way that eliminates rodent intrusion.
Expensive Rodent Chase
Besides accidents, annoying interruptions and costly repair works, many organisations struggle with the massive costs for chasing pests. Areas where cables, conduits and pipes enter buildings, shelters and cabinets are also entry points for pests. Rats cause problems by chewing through cables, which calls for both costly and risky work such as cleaning, rewiring and outages.
How to Mitigate Rodents?
The solution is to seal all cable, conduit and pipe penetrations by using proven animal mitigation systems, such as the Roxtec cable sealing system. Many contractors still use spray foam or putty when trying to seal around cables, but these materials are not enough to stop rodents from entering. The animals chew until they are able to get into the warm building and use the leftovers to build their nest inside. And when there is an opening, rats and mice are rapidly followed by snakes, spiders and insects creating risk of fire, power outage and fatal failure.
Never Let Rats Ruin Your Project
Roxtec multi-cable seals are certified and engineered solutions, resistant against pests and rodents. They are also fire-rated, watertight and gas-tight with spare capacity for upgrades.
No More Downtime
Operational reliability is a top priority regardless of whether you are working with urban, suburban, conventional, high-speed or freight rail. There is simply no time for disruption. In order to keep trains and rail vehicles running, you have to secure protection of equipment for electrification, signalling and communication systems, and manage risk by sealing properly around cables, metal pipes, plastic pipes and conduits that enter buildings, shelters and enclosures. That is why successful lead engineers in rail infrastructure recommend Roxtec seals as standard.
