DB Schenker is to invest €230 million retrofitting its entire fleet with new ‘silent’ brake blocks.
By the end of the year, 200 upgraded trains will be in service across Germany. DB aims to complete the overhaul of the entire fleet – around 60,000 cars – by 2020.
The new LL-block reduces trackside noise by 10 decibels – a reduction that will supposedly halve the perceived noise of the train.
On July 16, the first converted freight train was launched at the Gremberger marshalling yard to operate on the Cologne-Rotterdam route.
The composite block technology received European approval in July 2013, following two years of testing as part of the UIC-managed EuropeTrain project.
LL-blocks smoothen the wheel surface, reducing vibration from wheel-rail interface. The technology is also easier and cheaper to retrofit as there is no requirement to upgrade the entire braking system.
