Night shift in Leipzig: everything well on track

The main station of the trade fair metropolis in Saxony is being modernized. In order to keep this busy rail junction operational, work is also being carried out at night on closed tracks with deactivated overhead lines. A PALFINGER PCC 71.002 crawler crane is being used on a challenging STRABAG Rail construction site for Deutsche Bahn.

Over 120,000 passengers and more than 1,300 trains every day - Leipzig main station is not only considered one of the largest and most beautiful terminus stations in Europe, it is also one of the most important transport hubs in Germany. To keep it running at peak performance, regular maintenance and modernization work is carried out quickly, precisely and without interrupting the timetable. This is a task that requires a specialist who knows exactly what he is doing: The PCC 71.002.

Versatile and precise

And yet, the crawler crane made by PALFINGER is not a railway crane at all. The world market leader for innovative crane and lifting solutions offers specially developed and designed products for railway applications. But taking into consideration the requirements of the trade fair city in Saxony, it is the ideal tool, explains René Wirthgen from STRABAG Rail. "We chose the PALFINGER crawler crane because it guarantees us the versatility we need for these special jobs," he emphasizes.

Stable and self-stabilizing

The PCC 71.002 is so versatile that the overhead lines do not have to be completely dismantled. That makes things much easier. The crane unit and the crawler gear are delivered separately on a flat wagon. However the highlight  is, the heavy-duty stabilizers enable auto-leveling on inclined surfaces up to eight degrees, whilst still absorbing side-forces is more than sufficient.  The H‑type frame ensures optimum stability, lifting force and support, and thus the crane can be positioned freely. In addition, the crawler crane can easily lift the masts to be dismantled thanks to its extendable boom system and fly jib.

Barrier and obstacle free

That's not all by a long way. The cranes boom geometry allows it to reach and lift loads in places that are difficult to access. This makes it easier to operate in difficult locations, such as underneath or between overhead lines. In addition, the PALcom P7 remote control enables the crane operator to steer around barriers and obstacles with precision.

Nothing throws the PCC off track

During its nighttime operations on the DB construction site, the PCC impresses with another feature and, as a PALFINGER highlight product, keeps the promise we made to our customer: Permanent operation, silent and without emissions on site. Today absolutely mandatory in  noise-sensitive inner-city job sites. The PCC 71.002 delivers all the technical capabilities. "Excavators and smaller equipment would never have managed to remove the many heavy masts within the allotted time," explains Wirthgen. Thanks to the crawler crane, STRABAG Rail can stick to the modernization timetable.