Pandrol is a global railway infrastructure equipment and technology company. It is presently a member of the Delachaux Group and based in Colombes, France and has 1,700 employees globally in over 40 locations. Pandrol has sold its various products to over 400 railway systems around the world.
The company was founded as the Elastic Rail Spike Company (ERS) in London during 1937 to produce and sell an innovative rail fastening developed by the German engineer, Max Rüping. In the subsequent decades, it focused on the development and manufacture of such fastenings for securing rails to railway ties, being awarded numerous patents for this work. During the 1950s, the Norwegian railways engineer, Per Pande-Rolfsen, designed the Pandrol clip. This product became so successful that, in 1972, the business was renamed Pandrol.
Over time, the company had branched out into other product lines and activities, including maintenance personnel training, and the design and manufacture of tooling and other equipment to make the construction and maintenance of railways easier and more efficient.[2] In 2003, the company was acquired by the French conglomerate Delachaux[fr]. On 17 November 2017, all entities under Delachaux were unified under the Pandrol identity. During the 21st century, it has expanded considerably in Asia, a large portion of this growth coming from the Pandrol Rahee Technologiesjoint venture with the Indian railway manufacturer Rahee.
A Pandrol E clip in useStatue of a Pandrol PR clip in Calgary
Products
The Pandrol clip was patented in 1957 by a Norwegian railways engineer, Per Pande-Rolfsen. It is now common worldwide. The original clip is now called the PR-clip, which was superseded by a system called E-Clip. Numerous other products made by Pandrol have been designed to work in conjunction with the E-Clip.[3][4][5]
A key areas of product development for the company has been greater sustainability.[6] As a part of this ambition, Pandrol has a range of sustainable resilient systems and battery-powered tools called E+. Each E+ product has been designed to cut carbon emissions without compromising power. A focus on reducing noise and eliminating dangerous fumes will contribute to reduced environmental impact, particularly in urban and under-tunnel areas.[7]
The company has focused on aspects such as noise reduction and vibration reduction in recent years as numerous customers have approached Pandrol with concerns in this area. Amongst other solutions, Pandrol has launched Under-Ballast mats (UBMs) and Under Sleeper Pads (USPs) that partially resolve such problems upon ballasted track; the QTrack (for embedded track) and Floating Slab Mat (FSM) are amongst the fastening system solutions that have been developed for use on slabtrack.[8][9] During 2023, Pandrol launched a Common Interface System for ballastless track; it is designed to accept a variety of different screwed and non-screwed rail fastening assemblies so that they can be adapted quickly and affordably to suit different requirements and restrictions.[10]
History
During the 1930s, a German engineer, Max Rüping, developed a resilient fastening to secure a rail to a sleeper.[11] In 1933, Rüping went into business with an American importer of Creosote named Oscar Max von Bernuth (O. M. Bernuth), founder of Bernuth-Lembcke Company. At the time, the fastening was known as the Elastic Rail Spike. The product proved to be successful in track tests and the Elastic Rail Spike Company (ERS) was formed in London in 1937.
Throughout the 1940s, the business expanded internationally, led by General Manager Stewart Sanson. Patents were registered across the globe, including in India and Burma in 1943.[12] Immediately after the Second World War, ERS acquired a lease on a government-owned factory in Worksop to undertake spike production. This site has remained Pandrol’s UK manufacturing base to the present day.[13]
In 1958, Sanson was approached by a young Norwegian engineer named Per Pande-Rolfsen, who had invented a new type of indirect fastening which was fully resilient and did not transmit vibrations from passing trains.[14] The self-tensioning spring clip was far more adaptable than any other product on the market, and ERS registered international licensing rights on behalf of Rolfsen. Taking two syllables from the name of its creator, the indirect fastening was christened ‘the Pandrol clip’, or the PR clip. In 1966, it was adopted as standard by British Railways; one year later, South African Railways followed.[15][14]
During 1972, the Elastic Spike Company changed its name to Pandrol.[14] Five years later, Pandrol established a US-based subsidiary to better serve the North American market.[citation needed]
The 1980s was a time of rapid expansion for Pandrol; it opened new offices and manufacturing sites in both South Korea and Indonesia while its e-clips were installed for the first time in Japan.[citation needed] As a result of the acquisition of Vortok in 1991, Pandrol gained a range of solutions for rail track maintenance, rail signalling and rail stressing problems.
In 1992, Pandrol trialled an innovative new fastening, the Fastclip; it was quickly adopted by multiple heavy freight railways in North America. Within five years, more than five million Fastclips had been installed worldwide.[citation needed] During late 2003, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) mandated the use of the Fastclip as its standard fastening for both new lines and renewal activities.[16]
In early 1999, the British engineering conglomerate Charter plc announced that it was seeking to spin out its Pandrol Rail Fastenings subsidiary.[17] In 2003, the company was acquired by Delachaux[fr] of France. On 17 November 2017, all the businesses within the rail division of the Delachaux group were united under the single brand of Pandrol.[18][19]
During the 2000s, Pandrol expanded further into Asia, including the formation of a joint venture (Pandrol Rahee Technologies) with the Indian railway manufacturer Rahee in 2005.[20] In November 2018, Pandrol Rahee Technologies opened a fastening manufacturing plant in Hyderabad.[21] During the late 2010s, Pandrol Rahee Technologies was contracted to design, manufacture and supply a bespoke rail fastening system for the Mumbai Naval Dockyard.[20] Five years later, Pandrol Rahee Technologies opened a new foundry in West Bengal.[22]
In December 2008, Pandrol acquired the Swedish rail equipment manufacturer Rosenqvist Group.[23] During January 2024, Pandrol arranged to sell its Hudiksvall facility in Sweden to its former owner, the Rosenqvist Group; as a part of the commercial arrangements for the sale, Pandrol became the exclusive distributor of Rosenqvist Rail products for certain markets, including the UK, Ireland, France, Australia.[24]
On 6 January 2017, CDM Group sold its track division to Pandrol.[25] Following the sale of KLK Electro Materiales in 2021, the engineering, development and trading of rigid and tramway catenaries was carried out by Pandrol instead.[26]
During December 2020, Pandrol opened a new Centre of Excellence in Raismes, France as a part of the expansion and improvement of the company's training facilities.[27]
Related Research Articles
The railway track or permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on the sleepers or ties embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway. It is described as a permanent way because, in the earlier days of railway construction, contractors often laid a temporary track to transport spoil and materials about the site; when this work was substantially completed, the temporary track was taken up and the permanent way installed.
A railroad tie, crosstie, railway tie or railway sleeper is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Usually laid perpendicular to the rails, ties transfer loads to the track ballast and subgrade, hold the rails upright and keep them spaced to the correct gauge.
Green Cargo AB is a Swedish state-owned logistics company that transports various types of goods by train. It was created on 1 January 2001 out of the logistics division of Swedish State Railways (SJ). While organised as a public limited company, it is wholly owned by the Swedish government. As of 2019, it was responsible for almost 80% of Swedish rail freight transport.
Invensys Limited was a multinational engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. At its height, the company had offices in more than 50 countries and its products were sold in around 180 countries.
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit is an international rail consultancy company. Headquartered in Derby, England, it is a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis.
Vossloh AG is a rail technology company based in Werdohl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The SDAX-listed group has achieved sales of around €930 million in 2016 and, as of 2017, had more than 4,000 employees.
PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. is the Polish railway infrastructure manager, responsible for maintenance of rail tracks, conducting trains across the country, scheduling train timetables, and management of railway land.
Infrabel is a Belgian government-owned public limited company. It builds, owns, maintains and upgrades the Belgian railway network, makes its capacity available to railway operator companies, and handles train traffic control.
A concrete sleeper or concrete tie is a type of railway sleeper or railroad tie made out of steel reinforced concrete.
A rail fastening system is a means of fixing rails to railroad ties or sleepers. The terms rail anchors, tie plates, chairs and track fasteners are used to refer to parts or all of a rail fastening system. The components of a rail fastening system may also be known collectively as other track material, or OTM for short. Various types of fastening have been used over the years.
Plasser & Theurer is an Austrian manufacturer of rail track maintenance and track laying machines.
ADIF is a Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager. This state owned company reports to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. ADIF is charged with the management of most of Spain's railway infrastructure, that is the track, signaling and stations. It was formed in 2005 in response to European Union requirements to separate the natural monopoly of infrastructure management from the competitive operations of running train services. It is the legal successor of Renfe, Feve, and GIF.
Sersa Group is a Swiss railway construction and maintenance company.
Hupac is a railway company in Switzerland. It primarily provides international intermodal freight shipment, but has also engaged in rolling stock procurement and leasing activities.
Arriva Poland Sp. z o. o. is a Polish private rail carrier providing services in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Masovian, Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships. It is a subsidiary of the British transport specialist Arriva.
National Express Germany is a railway operator in Germany. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British transport company Mobico Group.
Arverio Deutschland GmbH, with brand name Arverio, before July 2024 under the name Go-Ahead Verkehrsgesellschaft Deutschland GmbH, is a railway operator in Germany. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Austrian state-owned rail operator ÖBB, and was part of the United Kingdom-based Go-Ahead Group up till its sale to ÖBB was completed on 1 February 2024.
A ballastless track or slab track is a type of railway track infrastructure in which the traditional elastic combination of ties/sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid construction of concrete or asphalt.
Matisa Matériel Industriel S.A. is a Swiss company that manufactures rail maintenance machines and provides associated services. It was founded in 1945 and is based in the canton of Vaud.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
