Ammerseebahn Railway Project Challenges the Buchloe Branch
Recently, the SPITZKE Group launched its next large-scale railway project. On the Bavarian Ammersee rail between Geltendorf and Weilheim, our Buchloe branch is carrying out comprehensive renovation work on behalf of DB InfraGO.
The construction project, located west of Munich, is divided into four construction phases (CP).
CP 1: Geltendorf–Schondorf
CP 2: Schondorf–Utting
CP 3: Utting–Dießen
CP 4: Dießen–Weilheim
The work on section 4 began in August with track dismantling. This was followed by earthworks in early September, which represent a major part of the Ammerseebahn railway project. The track renewal train UM-S 2001 kicked off the machine-based track renovation. This week, the RM 900 S cleaning machine and its crew arrived in Bavaria.
Difficult Subsoil in the Former Ammersee Floodplain
This is the largest single project for our Buchloe branch to date. A significant factor is the extensive earthwork. “We anticipate the excavation of around 140,000 tons of material,” explained our project manager. The material is stored on-site or transported by SPITZKE LOGISTIK GmbH to the connection in Kaufering. Our logistics subsidiary also handles the transport between the Augsburg point and the construction site. Given the size of the project, our entire Buchloe branch is involved, with all track teams deployed. The corporate division Track Construction Machinery and SPITZKE SCHWEISSTECHNIK GmbH also play significant roles.
The subsoil poses particular challenges for the project managers. The route runs through an old floodplain where sediment from the former Ammersee has made the ground unpredictable. Despite extensive soil surveys, the stability of the subgrade is difficult to assess, and the load-bearing capacity must be evaluated individually in each section.
Construction phases 2 to 4 of the Ammerseebahn railway project will be completely renovated by mid-December, including the complete or partial renewal or cleaning of the subgrade protection layer. Our Buchloe teams are renewing rails, sleepers and the track substructure, points, level crossing systems as well as the drainage system over a total length of 25 km. The first construction phase will be carried out next year from August to October.
