News

Tata Steel supply 800 tonnes of Rail Dampers for Sydney’s
Epping to Chatswood Rail Link (ECRL)

In 2009 Tata Steel Australia was awarded a contract by United Group Australia to provide a noise dampening system for the newly constructed 16 kilometre Epping to Chatswood commuter rail tunnel.

	Damper Assembly

After the initial trials, which compared test results against two other products, the Tata Rail system was chosen and 190,000 where ordered for delivery between July and October 2009. Failure to meet the tight deadline meant the imposition of hefty Liquidated Damages, as the newly constructed tunnel and transport system would have been delayed.

Approximately half were manufactured in France and the balance in Sydney, Australia. The patented system comprises three pieces of steel encapsulated in a resin block which is clipped on either side of the rail between each sleeper.

800 tonnes of steel where used together with thousands of litres of resin. Delivery was made on time, and post installation testing resulted in acoustic levels below the original design values.