Mysłowice - Świerczyny - CONTRACK in less than 100 hours!

CONTRACK has proven that constructing a tram crossing in a switchboard doesn't have to take weeks. This is another step closer to constructing key elements of the tramway surface in a weekend format (72 hours).

Single turnout.
Total number of panels: 4.
Total area: 50 m².
Construction took place in August 2024.

"Although the technology is still a market innovation, the implementation in Mysłowice confirms that in the case of prefabricated CONTRACK tram slabs, we can already speak of standardized and optimized installation methods. Although the implementation also involved the replacement of additional components – a dozen or so prefabricated crossing units – the work was carried out very efficiently. We completed the essential track work related to the installation of the prefabricated turnout slabs and the comprehensive assembly of the turnout in the prefabricated slabs in less than one hundred hours," says Grzegorz Leszczyński, President of CONTRACK.

The project in Mysłowice encompassed a broader scope of work than simply installing four large-scale prefabricated junction slabs using CONTRACK technology. An additional task involved replacing several standard crossing slabs – this comprehensive service minimized traffic disruptions in the area of ​​the work and avoided lengthy and disruptive changes to traffic management for residents.

The task was completed as part of additional work related to the modernization of the track and road infrastructure along the entire tram line No. 14. A hydraulic truck-mounted crane with a 30-ton lifting capacity was used to unload and place four large-scale prefabricated CONTRACK turnout slabs, as it was impossible to use a standard truck-mounted crane, whose chain slings would have interfered with the existing tram overhead lines. The operation itself took just over an hour.

"Due to the combination of technologies and the additional scope of work, the initial estimated time for replacing the surface with a structure featuring CONTRACK precast slabs was approximately 192 hours. Ultimately, thanks to the application of logistics and assembly standards developed during previous projects, the project was completed almost half the estimated time. The tram line in this location is ready to resume service immediately after the construction – however, due to other work on the entire investment, the restoration of tram service will take place at a later date," says Szymon Sroka, Contract Manager at KZN Rail.

CONTRACK technology was developed with funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the National Centre for Research and Development's Fast Track competition. To date, thanks to the effective use of public funds, CONTRACK technology has accelerated the development of key tram infrastructure elements in Bytom, Poznań, Ruda Śląska, and Mysłowice (prefabricated turnout slabs) and in Kraków (prefabricated crossing slabs), thus relieving residents of traffic disruptions resulting from lengthy modernization work.