UK: Network Rail’s Wales & Western region and Dutch manufacturer Lankhorst Engineered Products have developed a composite sleeper made of made of 90% recycled materials which they say involves 90% less embedded carbon in production than wooden equivalents and 78% less than concrete.
The design based on Lankhorst’s KLP Hybrid Polymer Sleeper family has been called the hedgehog, because the ends are thought to look like hedgehogs nesting under the rail. The sleepers provide both high strength with good damping characteristics, bending stiffness and low thermal expansion, and are expected to last at least twice as long as concrete counterparts.
‘The raw material for wooden sleepers comes from South American rainforests, which can result in damage to habitats, a reduction in biodiversity, and decreased carbon absorption from rainforests’, said Network Rail’s Programme Engineering Manager Nick Matthews. ‘Producing concrete can also have a damaging impact on the environment and increased carbon emissions.’
- Network Rail is undertaking soft market testing to explore the performance characteristics of composite sleepers, their supply chains and procurement options.
