Due to their construction, rail expansion joints cannot be machined by heavy rail-reprofiling machines at all, or else only with considerable logistical effort. As a consquence, they are mostly overlooked. For the purpose of comprehensive track maintenance, Flexis machines have virtually unlimited adjustment options, which allow expansion joints to be resurrected to near-perfect condition very quickly.

Closing the gap with a special rail profile: In the Netherlands, Flexis is the ideal complement to heavy, output-oriented, rail-reprofiling machinery for adding small areas e.g. switch and crossing connection points, to the overall end result.

Skid spots usually occur as single defects. They form on:

• gradients ahead of signals and
• in places with stop-and-go traffic.

These sections of track are only short, so deploying heavy rail reprofiling machines is not worthwhile in most cases. The versatile, independent Flexis technology, however, can very quickly rectify isolated rail defects such as squats, indentations or insufficiently smooth rail welds.

Train lines like the one for the Mont Blanc Express in France with longitudinal gradients of >40 ‰ are classed as lines with steep gradients. They cannot be used by standard rail vehicles unless special requirements are met, such as an extra brake locomotive or similar. Thanks to the autonomy of the deployment options that Flexis offers, even lines with steeper gradients can be machined without having to go to great expense.

Gritting in winter is particularly heavy at asphalt level crossings. Road vehicles inadvertently spread the grit over the entire crossing area, where some of it also comes to rest on the running surfaces of the rails. The next train that comes through the crossing runs over this grit, which causes severe damage to the rails in and around the crossing.

With the Flexis System able to access tracks from roadways, defects of this kind can be rectified very quickly.