Bosch SDS max-8X four-cutter hammer drill proves itself in railway construction HD

“Working on local public transport in urban areas means that we can only work for short periods of time if the tracks are in use,” explains Christoph Schmoranzer, Construction Manager at Rhomberg Sersa Deutschland. His team is currently working on one of the most important traffic routes for the university city of Halle (Saale), constructing new tracks for the city’s tram system: As part of a major multi-stage project, the tram is being upgraded to a city railway system, making future passengers’ journeys faster, more comfortable and reducing noise for residents. For the Construction Manager, this project means much more than just sleepers and rails: “The part of railway construction that people do not see – but is very time-consuming – is the preparation: The substructure, civil engineering, railway power supply and the installation of safety systems.” As part of the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, the Austrian-Swiss railway construction and railway technology specialist, the company is ideally equipped for this work: “We cover the whole range of services, from railway construction to communication technology and maintenance,” explains Christoph Schmoranzer. “On this route section we are installing so called “guard angles” that will provide us with additional protection while we are working on the track. If a tram derails, the angles will stop it,” clarifies the Construction Manager and pauses briefly, waiting for the signal that will allow the workers back onto the track. Construction worker Philip Engelhardt then gets to work: Fitting the guard rails with colored visual protection, aligning it, marking the holes – and then drilling. “The problem up to now has been that once we reached the reinforced steel, even the best drills would not make it through the sleepers and rail setting plates,” says the track layer ‒ before he tries out the Bosch SDS max-8X four-cutter hammer drill. He is using it for the first time today with his eight-kilogram GBH 8-45 DV Professional rotary hammer and is impressed: “You do not even notice that you are working in reinforced concrete. The drill goes through without any pressure at all.”