Swiss railway field tests white paint to keep tracks from buckling
The paint is currently being tested by the rail company on a section of track in Graubünden, between the villages of Küblis and Fideris.
Keystone
The Rhaetian RailwayExternal link in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden is testing a technique commonly used in Italy to fight the distorting effects of heat on metal: painting the tracks white.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/cl
The goal is to keep the metal tracks from deforming or buckling in the heat, which has affected the whole country in one of the hottest Julys on record.
The white coating is currently being tested on a 300-metre (984-foot) section of track in Graubünden, between the villages of Küblis and Fideris. The paint was applied in mid-June, just in time to exert its effects in the full summer heat.
In theory, the temperature of the tracks could be reduced by as much as seven degrees as a result of the treatment, Yvonne Dünser, a spokesperson for the Rhaetian Railway, told the Swiss News Agency, ATS. The results will be assessed when it is less warm.
Rail research
A study by the Swiss Federal Technology Institute ETH Zurich showed that white paint had a positive impact in strong sunlight. The researchers then turned to the Rhaetian Railway as a practical test subject.
If a railway track buckles or is deformed by more than 50 millimetres, it should not be used to carry a train. During the summer of 2015, the heat affected the tracks of the Rhaetian Railway so severely that the trains were temporarily stopped between the village of Arosa and Graubünden’s capital city of Chur, and replaced by a bus.
Painting tracks white to combat the heat’s effects has already been common practice in Italy for the past several years.
More
More
Switzerland continues to swelter under heatwave
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss has issued a heat warning for the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, as the country continues to suffer the effects of the heat.
Report finds serious security flaws in Swiss hospital information systems
This content was published on
The IT systems of several Swiss hospitals suffer from serious security flaws, according to the National Testing Institute for Cybersecurity (NTC).
Cost of leisure activities rises dramatically in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Swiss paid more for leisure activities in December. Prices for vacation apartments, package tours and cable cars rose significantly.
New Swiss epidemic surveillance centre inaugurated
This content was published on
The Centre for Pathogen Bioinformatics was inaugurated in Bern on Thursday. It aims to improve epidemics monitoring in Switzerland using genomic data.
This content was published on
Switzerland, as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), signed a free trade agreement with Thailand during WEF.
This content was published on
The federal audit office has criticised the Swiss government for poor planning of the procurement of six drones from an Israeli supplier.
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is revamping its intercity IC2000 fleet at a cost of approximately CHF300 million ($302 million).
This content was published on
Major construction work is causing serious travel delays, but some passengers are eligible for goodwill gift certificates – if they get the app.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.