With its innovative Sandlos® steel wheels the LRS Railway Division offers OEM and Maintenance solutions
Riccardo Pasinetti is the Commercial Director of Lucchini RS Railway Division, the global multinational for sustainable mobility progress based in Lovere (BS), which produces high-end rail components for high-speed, locomotives, passenger trains, trams and subways.
The LRS Railway Division is involved in various projects in the Arabian Gulf both as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and for the provision of maintenance. For desert environments, the most inhospitable in the world, LRS Railway Division has developed innovative wheels in a special steel known as Sandlos®.
Characterized by extreme temperatures, desert environments are also known for sand, which is among the most aggressive natural elements when it comes to railway applications. In what is known as ‘three-body abrasion’, generated by the presence of sand on the wheel interface, a third element (sand) interferes with the behavior of materials subject to contact wear.
Ordinary maintenance to remove sand from the wheels is not enough: for this reason, LRS developed Sandlos®, a ‘specialized’ steel that creates innovation, designed to protect wheels in the desert and reduce the speed of wear.
Which projects is Lucchini RS working on in the Arabian Gulf as an OEM?
LRS confirms its involvement in OEM projects with Alstom, for the Dubai Metro, and for the new EXPO2020 trains, of which we are not exclusive suppliers. Another project in which we are involved is the high-speed Haramain (Medina-Mecca) train in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Spanish train manufacturer Talgo. In addition, we are working on the Riyadh Metro, where LRS provides wheels and axles for trains made by two great builders: Siemens Mobility and Bombardier Transportation.
And in terms of maintenance provision?
For the after market we are offering Sandlos®. The supply of spare parts for the Dubai Metro (already in service) should begin in about 24 months. The fleet is of interest to LRS in terms of proposing innovative services for optimized maintenance.
What was your impression of Middle East Rail 2019?
Middle East Rail 2019, where LRS was a major presence, was positive: we have definitely noticed an increase in attendance when compared to the last 2 years. This higher turnout is perhaps due to a general positive trend in the GCC economic system and to the fact that the date of Expo 2020 is fast approaching, which makes the players in the area more actively involved. There is also a lot of expectation in regards to the new infrastructure projects.
