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Railway modernization has arrived in Brazil! A Dutch technique replaces sleepers with high-strength superglue. The innovation is already improving safety and efficiency and could transform rail transport in the country.
A simple but powerful innovation promises to transform the rail transport in Brazil.
Forget about traditional wooden or concrete sleepers. A revolutionary technique, imported directly from the Netherlands, is being tested on Brazilian railways.
The idea is bold: using a high-strength superglue to fix rails to pre-cast blocks.
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This technology is already widely used in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, where railways stand out for their safety and efficiency.
Now, this solution is being implemented by Rumo, the largest railway operator in Brazil, at level crossings (PNs) in the city of Paranaguá, in Paraná.
But how does this technique that promises to solve historical problems on Brazilian railways work?
How superglue transforms railways
The main change brought about by technology is the replacement of traditional rail fixing methods.
Until then, railways used wooden sleepers or concrete cured in situ to fix the tracks.
These materials, despite being robust, presented flaws over time due to natural wear and tear, causing unevenness, opening of the gauges and other structural problems.
Now, the technique employs precast concrete blocks with prestressed reinforcement, which measure 6x2x0,4 meters and weigh an impressive 12,16 tons each.
The rails are attached directly to these blocks using a superglue imported from Holland, developed to withstand high pressures and constant impacts.
This innovation eliminates the use of traditional sleepers, which were vulnerable to problems such as rot and degradation due to weather conditions, significantly reducing the need for frequent maintenance.
Initial results and benefits
The first results of the application of superglue in eight PNs in Paranaguá are promising. Rodrigo Taflick, Rumo Permanent Way Coordinator, highlighted the effectiveness of the technique:
“This solution surprised us positively. In addition to eliminating chronic problems, such as wear and tear on sleepers, it provides greater stability and safety for the tracks. This prevents serious accidents, such as derailments.”
Another highlight is the speed of application and maintenance. While traditional methods require days of work, the superglue technique allows completion in up to 20 hours.
This drastically reduces disruptions to rail and road traffic, especially in busy regions such as port areas.
Furthermore, drivers who use these level crossings also benefit.
With a more stable and level structure, vehicles can cross the tracks with greater speed and safety, reducing the risk of collisions – accidents in which cars collide with trains at crossings.
Paranaguá as a pioneer
The choice of Paranaguá to implement the technique was not by chance. The city is an important logistics hub, connecting agricultural production from the interior of Paraná to ports for export.
The application of this technology in a high-traffic region is a crucial test to verify its viability in other railway sections in Brazil.
The city's eight PNs are expected to be fully equipped with the new structure by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Comparison with the European model
The superglue technique is already widely used on the most modern railways in Europe. Countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Belgium have adopted this solution to increase the durability of the tracks and reduce operating costs.
In Europe, these railways are recognized for their efficiency, safety and ability to handle high volumes of traffic.
The introduction of this technology in Brazil brings the country into line with international best practices, signaling a significant advance in the railway sector.
The impact on the future of Brazilian railways
The adoption of this innovative technique represents more than a practical solution to structural problems.
It marks an important step in the modernization of Brazilian rail transport, which has historically faced challenges such as high maintenance costs, infrastructure failures and a lack of competitiveness in relation to other transport modes.
With this innovation, a reduction in maintenance costs and greater operational efficiency are expected, which can attract new investments to the sector.
Furthermore, the durability of the method contributes to increasing safety, reducing accidents and interruptions in operations.
In the long term, the expectation is that this technology will be expanded to other strategic railways in Brazil, strengthening national logistics and bringing the country closer to international rail transport standards.
Could this technology be the first step towards transforming Brazilian rail transport and making it a global example?
The transportation of cargo and passengers by rail should have been implemented since the beginning of time. Political and corrupt interests elected and sold themselves to oil, choosing highways and their problems, which civilized countries that based their transportation on rail do not face. Brazil is the only country that has never invested in rail networks, and today we have this chaos in traffic and loss of competitiveness in exports.
It is high time to invest in railroads, which would already solve the problems with transportation via trucks, and there would not even be a need for so many projects, most of which never get off the ground and are the result of politicians' fallacies, to solve the losses and costs of transportation in agribusiness.
As the revolt in relation to the transportation of cargo and passengers by rail in Brazil is sheltered, in the moments of the trajectory navigated in the points plotted in the construction of blind roles, these Hypotheses must Humanize the multi-centric Situation in Chaos.
I want to invest in international railways