The Sggrs80 six-axle articulated flat cars United Wagon Company is manufacturing for Deutsche Bahn have successfully passed homologation and certification testing in Europe.
The test results mean that UWC can start the official certification procedure with the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), which will in turn allow it to fulfil its contract to supply 270 units to Deutsche Bahn.
In August 2019 UWC sent the prototype flat cars to the VÚKV test facility in the Czech Republic. The flat cars underwent a number of tests to ensure their compliance with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) governing freight wagons (WAG TSI) and those governing noise. These went on for several months and included brake tests, strength tests under static loads, impact tests, noise tests and others.
The Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant also underwent a successful audit by VUZ, a Czech Notified Body that is accredited by the ERA. It was granted the TSI compliance certificates for the Sggrs80 articulated flat cars it will manufacture.
Sggrs80 Articulated Flat Car
The Sggrs80 six-axle articulated flat car is 80 foot long. It had a load capacity of 108t. Furthermore, UWC says it comes with a number of features that are not typical for European car manufacturing but that allow it to transport various size categories of ISO containers, tank containers and intermodal SWAP bodies with a length of 20–30 feet and a gross maximum weight of 36 tons; or with a length of 40 feet and a maximum gross weight of 40 tons. Each flat car will come with hinged twist locks in accordance with European standards for loading containers in various combinations. Furthermore, each car has a bogie with a 22.5 t axle load for operation on standard gauge.
The All-Union Research and Development Centre for Transportation Technology designed the flat cars.
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