When the new high-speed trains on the Arlanda line rush along at over 200 km/h, they get dusty and caked in insects. Cleaning them might seem easy, but the environmental requirements, the more-than-100-metre length of the trains and the operating voltage of 16,000 volts make it a challenge. Kambre AB, a company specialising in various means of cleaning vehicles, has found a solution that provides both better results and a cleaner environment.

An existing system could not clean the skirts and front of the Arlanda trains, a problem that was solved by Kambre's re-design to include special brush technology. A treatment plant for run-off water was also installed, improving cleaning quality and nearly eliminating emissions. In this way, passengers get clean trains rolling into the platform, while the system effectively spares the environment.

This is important because the cleaning water does not just contain detergents but also other contaminants including heavy metals, which should not end up in the environment. The cleaning system for the Arlanda line is connected to the municipality's water system and is so effective that it complies with the strict regulations in Sigtuna municipality.
The trains run slowly through the system, which means
that the 16,000-volt operating voltage is always connected. Direct contact with water could have grave consequences, but Karl-Axel Kambre, Managing Director for the company, explains that there is no real risk. A signal system gives the driver a stop signal for cleaning at the front and back of the train.
"All cleaning must be effected from the side because the system cannot employ a portal, as in a regular carwash," says Karl-Axel Kambre.

Kambre AB, together with its partners, has supplied vehicle cleaning systems in over 800 installations throughout the world. These include such applications as modern cleaning systems for the Norwegian commuter air service between Gardemoen and Oslo and for Swedish State railways and its X 2000 trains in Gothenburg. A new installation has also recently been put into operation for the Stockholm underground railway system at its depot in the Stockholm suburb of Nyboda.

For further information, please contact:
Kambre AB
Box 7221, SE-187 13 Täby
Sweden
Tel: +46-(0)-8-544 40 424
Fax: +46-(0)-8-544 404 29
E-mail: info@kambre.se
Homepage: www.kambre.se

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