RHEDA CITY – the safe and economical slab track for tramways

Ballastless track has established itself as an alternative to ballasted track and is today a safe and economical solution for all applications - not only for high-speed traffic but also for tramways. The RHEDA CITY system was developed on the basis of ballastless track technology that has been tried and tested over many years for ordinary railroad tracks. In order to make it suitable for the special needs of tramway operators, the latter were actively involved as development partners and their experience in planning, implementation and operation was consistently utilized. With this history, which now spans more than 25 years, RHEDA CITY is today one of the most widely used track systems for tramways with practically unlimited possibilities for adaptation to all conditions of inner-city, multi-modal traffic.
The RHEDA CITY system consists of only two main components which are then modified and supplemented for the individual application. This simple, uniform structure simplifies the planning and construction of the system and thus also simplifies the planning and construction for the transport companies.

These essential building blocks of RHEDA CITY are:

• Bi-block sleepers with lattice girder reinforcement: The bi-block sleeper is the simplest and most economical option for permanently secure, high-precision fixation of the rail during the installation and construction process as well as during operational use.
• Load-bearing track slab made of in-situ concrete: The in-situ concrete carriageway slab for transferring the traffic loads - both of individual traffic and of rail vehicles - is the most effective solution, especially in terms of adaptability and constructability in a confined urban environment.

Based on this structure, the system can be adapted to all conceivable grooved and vignol rail profiles, track gauges and rail fastenings, whereby the possibility of continuous rail bedding can of course also be implemented.
For covered tracks, both rail sheathing and a wide variety of chamber filling elements can be used - depending on requirements and customer preferences. This allows the system to meet even the highest demands in terms of stray current or sound emission.

In addition, the RHEDA CITY system has a solution for turnouts of different designs and can also be adapted for special applications such as multi-track systems by using special sleepers. Another special design that is often required in urban areas with historic buildings or with buildings of clinical or cultural use is the design with specially adjusted sound or vibration emission. This can also be implemented by elastic support of the concrete bearing slab - i.e. as a mass-spring system - without further modification of the basic RHEDA CITY system.