The urban transport company GVB Amsterdam has expanded its extensive fleet by two ZAGRO road rail vehicles Unimog U 423. The company carries around 875,000 passengers on each line per working day. Accordingly high are the requirements towards the technology. The two new acquisitions on the M52 subway line, inaugurated in 2018, serve as maintenance and emergency vehicles and ensure that the rail traffic runs smoothly. In the North South line, 7.1 kilometres of the total distance of 9.7 kilometres run underground.
As early as 2017, ZAGRO delivered a service vehicle of Unimog U 423 series with a loading crane and a wagon brake system to move trailer load of up to 400 tons. They use the vehicle for maintenance on tracks, for example when renewing the switches, or for the transport of rail-bound machines. In March 2019, during the trade fair RailTech Europe, we handed over the second Unimog U 423, set up as a rescue train. Equipped with a box body, wagon brake system and hydraulic re-railing equipment, this road rail vehicle is perfect for quick and safe rescue operations.
A specific feature of these road rail vehicles is the option to couple one Unimog with the other and thereby increase the traction. Thus, in an emergency, a complete 120 meter long metro train with a weight of about 200 tons can be towed effortlessly even in the gradient section of more than four percent, as in a tunnel exit. For this tandem operation, they connect two Unimog both electrically and mechanically by means a coupling rod. One driver only sits in the cabin of the first Unimog, while the automatic control system developed by ZAGRO assumes the control of the coupled Unimog.
See a new video: Unimog in tandem control mode.
