Siemens Mobility has launched a project aimed at recycling materials from end-of-life trains. The initiative was joined by a consortium that included the railway operator Deutsche Bahn, the aluminum concern Hydro, the German metal processing company TSR and the steel company voestalpine.
The project was named Train2Train. Its task is to combine the entire value chain: from disassembly of rolling stock and extraction of raw materials to its subsequent processing and use in the production of new railway components.
Hydro stressed that each participant in the project performs an important function in forming a transparent and closed cycle of materials.
TSR will dismantle rail vehicles and extract recyclable materials. The steel will be sent to voestalpine for further processing and production, while TSR's aluminum will be transferred to Hydro's processing plant in Ghlin, Belgium.
The project focuses on the reuse of materials from decommissioned trains and their return to the railway industry. The Austrian voestalpine specializes in the production of rails and solutions for railway infrastructure, but the company has not yet disclosed details about the further use of recycled steel.