Assessment of the environmental impacts of the EG47 and G44 concrete railway sleepers.
Trackwork Moll wanted to undertake a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) focusing on the carbon footprint of their EG47 and G44 concrete sleepers compliant with ISO 14040, ISO 14044, ISO 14025 and EN 15804:2012+A2:2019/AC:2021.
Trackwork Moll commissioned Valpak’s Consultancy team to develop bespoke LCA modelling to quantify in detail the environmental impacts of their manufacturing processes in terms of the materials used, energy, fuels, consumables (including inbound packaging), wastes, and transport of materials and products, within their supply chains.
The EG47 and the G44 sleepers are the basic type of sleeper used in the UK. They have a standard rail spacing and can be equipped with two types of rail fastening, Cen60 and Cen56, depending on the type of track and the loads expected on it. In the production process a special class C50/60 concrete is used.
The system boundary was ‘cradle-to-gate’+ modules C & D. The environmental impacts of the installation and use phase of the radiators were excluded from the scope of the project.
For each of the concrete sleepers – the EG47 and G44 – a comprehensive assessment of the carbon footprints was undertaken. The results provided Trackwork Moll with a detailed understanding of the production impacts of the current design specification of the EG47 and EG44 concrete sleepers. This vital information feeds directly in to ongoing design changes to reduce the carbon footprints of these products.
Outstanding quality and service throughout the project with every detail handled professionally and with expertise in a timely manner. The Valpak team delivered beyond expectations, showing a true commitment to excellence. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.