Sustainable Railway Sleepers

Duratrack: An Australian First

When the Duratrack railway sleeper was awarded Type Approval by mainline rail operators V/Line and Metro Trains Melbourne, it demonstrated how innovative thinking could point the way to a future for sustainable rail infrastructure.

The challenges for an innovative product in the highly regulated, safety conscious, risk-averse rail industry are substantial. But after 5 years of development, testing, collaboration and demonstrating proof of performance, Duratrack became the first and only Australian recycled plastic railway sleeper approved for mainline use.

Duratrack has now been installed on mainline and freightlines throughout Australia.

“Duratrack is a great example of how government, industry, universities and rail authorities can work together to create a circular economy.”

– Stephen Webster, IR General Manager

Duratrack Australian Mainline Installations

Duratrack sleepers are being installed throughout Australia

Richmond Station, Melbourne

Installed June 2019 on platform 2 (the Sandringham line): “City workers and sporting crowds makes Richmond Station one of the busiest on MTM’s network.”

Wyndham Vale Train Stabling Facility

Installed July 2019: The yards were built for for the Velocity Trains by McConnell Dowell the lead for the Western Program alliance.

Donald Stabling Yards

Part of Victoria’s big build projects, the Donald stabling yards were built by ACCIONA (Coleman Rail) for V/Line to provide additional stabling for the velocity trains

Merbein Stabling Yards

An initiative of the #RecycledFirstPolicy for Victoria’s Big Build, this project is part of the Murray Basin rail upgrade for Rail Projects Victoria and V/Line; and will allow 1200m long trains to stable.

Tottenham

An ongoing research and demonstration project between Monash IRT, ARTC and SV where instrumented sleepers were installed in December 2020 for the collection and analysis of live load data from daily mainline traffic.

Waurn Ponds

Part of major upgrades to the Warrnambool Line and built by Downer for Rail Projects Victoria and V/Line. This facility will enable V/Locity trains to be stored when not in use.

Helidon

Installed 2018 on the regional coal freight line, this QR monitored mainline trial is between Helidon and Gatton in the Lockyer Valley Western Downes region (near Toowoomba).

Chinchilla

Installed 2018 on the regional coal freight line, this QR monitored mainline trial is between Chinchilla and Miles in the Lockyer Valley Western Downes region (near Toowoomba).

Demonstrating Circular Design

“If you want to go quickly go alone. If you want to go far go together” In 2016 Sustainability Victoria gave a research grant to Monash University which enabled an analysis of flexible plastics in a railway sleeper environment. Sustainability Victoria are an invaluable partner and this grant was critical to the development of the Duratrack® sleeper. Duratrack® is a game changer and it’s our goal to create a new industry in Australia. This video tells our story …the journey continues.

Duratrack – A regional solution for a nationwide problem

Metro Trains Melbourne

Richmond Station, Platform 3: “City workers and sporting crowds makes Richmond Station one of the busiest stations on MTM’s network. So it will be good test to see how these sleepers stand up.” Jerome Weimar CEO Public Transport Victoria.

Commercial uses for old plastics

“Integrated Recycling’s Mildura factory is producing picnic tables, bollards and gardening products but it’s the recycled plastic railway sleepers that has caught the attention of governments around Australia.” – ABC News

Queensland Rail Trial #2

Chinchilla to Miles: The second QR Mainline trial is between Chinchilla and Miles in the Western Downes region. The trial will be conducted and monitored in accordance with the QR test plan and will run for approximately 12-18 months.

V/Line Mainline Trial

Wyndham Vale Train Stabling Facility: Western Metropolitan Region MP Cesar Melhem said, “This project is a great example of how government, industry, universities and rail authorities can work together to create a circular economy.”

Santas Train

For many families, Mornington Railways Santa’s train is the highlight of the Christmas calendar! Mornington Railways were motivated by a costly replacement program of rotted and split timber sleepers to look for a more durable alternative.

Lifecycle cost comparison

A lifecycle cost comparison is dependant on the life of the sleepers. The clear advantage of a Duratrack sleeper is its 50 year design life, but its serviceable life may be longer depending on the maintenance of the track. The average life of an A grade timber sleeper is around 14-15 years.

Over the prolonged lifespan of a Duratrack sleeper, a timber sleeper would be replaced on multiple occasions. For this reason, the lifecycle cost of a Duratrack sleeper is considerable less than that of a timber sleeper.

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