Students from the National College for High-Speed Rail (NCHSR) will have the opportunity to get to grips with slab track at a new specialist training facility in Staffordshire.
Thanks to a partnership between building materials firm Tarmac and the German engineering company Max Bögl, a 52m-long section of FFB slab track – the only installation in the UK – has been made available to learners at Tarmac’s Alrewas Quarry.
Slab track is an alternative to traditional rail ballast and has been designed specifically for high-speed rail applications.
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As well as getting to grips with the slab track, the trainee civil engineers will learn about ground stabilisation, standard rail and ballast tracks and geotechnical operations.
Max Bögl supplied and transported the slab track from Germany, Tarmac supplied peripheral decorative rail ballast, ready-mix concrete, and grout, British Rail donated 120m of high-speed rail and Trimble its slab positioning equipment to ensure accurate alignment of the slabs.
NCHSR students will benefit from three training days at the training facility as part of their curriculum.
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