A specialised crane for challenging railway projects at your service

Kreate has developed a folding boom crane for railway construction sites, whose distinctive feature is its articulated folding boom. Thanks to this, the crane can operate at sites where space is limited, where overhead lines restrict lifting operations, or where the lifting point is situated in the middle of the tracks.

The crane, nicknamed ‘Iron Lady Eerika’, is the only one of its kind in the world, as far as we know, and we also make it available to other contractors and clients for use on railway construction sites. Eerika is particularly well-suited to demanding lifting operations in railway environments, where safety, efficiency and the smooth progression of work stages are paramount.

One of Iron Lady Eerika’s most significant strengths is its ‘pick & carry’ feature. The rail crane not only lifts heavy structures but is also capable of moving them from one place to another whilst suspended.

Thanks to its pick & carry feature, Eerika performs more functions on site than a traditional crane. The same equipment can be used to lift the load, transport it to its destination and assist with installation.

When moving heavy switches and other track structures, the pick & carry feature proves its worth in practice:

• faster working
• lower equipment requirements
• better manageability of the construction site
• more effective way of making use of traffic disruptions
• safer lifting and handling solutions

Kreate’s rail-mounted crane has already been put to the test on numerous projects across Finland. It has been used to lift everything from track components and switches to a thermal power station.

In the Tampere Passenger Railway Yard project, Eerika was used to remove and install points in the middle of the tracks. The site presented a challenge in terms of lifting operations: rubber-tyred vehicles could not access the lifting site, and the overhead catenary lines ruled out the use of conventional mobile cranes.

Thanks to the folding boom, Eerika was able to reach the target without having to make any major adjustments to the workspace and safely lift the heavy gearbox components away from the site.

Read how the railway crane sped up track works in Tampere

In railway works, every minute of disruption is precious. That is why the importance of specialised vehicles such as Eerika’s is emphasised. It enables heavy points, track structures and other components to be moved quickly and efficiently without any additional steps. At the same time, this avoids, for example, the need to construct temporary access routes or the large work areas required by other cranes.

Eerika’s potential applications are not limited solely to the planned lifting operations at the railway construction site. A heavy yet manoeuvrable railway crane can also provide significant assistance in clearance and rescue operations following accidents on the track.

When rolling stock or heavy structures need to be removed from the tracks quickly, Eerika can significantly speed up the work and help to restore traffic safely as quickly as possible.

We at Kreate have our own in-depth expertise in the construction of railways, electrified railways and safety systems. We draw on our wide-ranging expertise in both joint ventures and independent railway projects, carrying out even the most challenging projects with professional skill.