Last month, a successful official inspection of the massive river culvert in Moscow underlying the Sapsan high-speed railway was carried out. After three years of service, the PENETRON ADMIX-treated structure showed no signs of wear or deterioration.
When the Sapsan (“Peregrine Falcon”) high speed railway was launched by the Russian Railway Ministry in 2009, travel times between St. Petersburg and Moscow were reduced to 3-½ hours, making it essentially even quicker than a commercial jet. Running at speeds up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), the new railway allows passengers to board the morning train at the centrally located Moskovsky Station in St. Petersburg and arrive at Leningradskaya Station in the heart of Moscow by noon.
Waterproofing Resistant to Mechanical Wear
To achieve and maintain the high travel speeds, the Ministry undertook a significant modernization of the existing rail infrastructure. In the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo district in Moscow, a huge concrete culvert was required to allow the riverbed of the Skhodnya River to pass underneath the new railway lines.
“The Penetron team in Moscow consulted with the railway engineers about an optimal solution,” explains Igor Chernogolov, President of Penetron Russia. “Ultimately, PENETRON ADMIX was used to treat the concrete for the culvert because reliability of the waterproofing is not affected by mechanical wear on the concrete surface.”
Three Years of Durability
After three years of operation, the culvert was inspected by the local Penetron experts and Russian Railway Ministry officials. The inspection focused on possible signs of water penetration or rebar corrosion that could be caused by cracks forming due to the constant vibration of the high-speed trains running over the top of the structure.
“The recent inspection confirmed that the concrete matrix of the culvert was intact, without any traces of water ingress or structural deterioration, and we will continue to monitor these structures well into the future,” adds Igor Chernogolov. “Adding PENETRON ADMIX provides concrete with the ability to self-heal all hairline cracks that form due to the high mechanical wear, preventing deterioration from occurring as a result of the permanent water exposure.
The Russian Railway Ministry will continue to construct and develop an extensive system of high-speed rail lines across the country. This will help eliminate bottlenecks at many of the nation’s airports and vastly reduce rail travel times between cities.
“It will be a great way to see our country,” adds Igor Chernogolov. “and Penetron is very proud to be part of the design for this high-speed transit system, contributing durable concrete structures with lowered maintenance costs.”
Rides on Penetron technology: The Sapsan high speed railway cuts travel times between St. Petersburg and Moscow to 3-½ hours, essentially making it even quicker than a commercial jet.
Still in perfect shape today: Three years ago, a massive PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete culvert was built to allow Skhodnya River in Moscow to pass underneath the high-speed Sapsan railway.
