Investigation and validation of measures against weeds in the area of railway tracks

Project

This project contributes to the research aim ' Environment and ressource management'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Environment and ressource management

Project code: JKI-A-08-1274
Contract period: 01.04.2020 - 01.03.2023
Purpose of research: Applied research

The railway tracks of the DB have to be kept free from weeds for operational and traffic safety reasons. Currently there is a purely chemical vegetation control. Discussions on the use of herbicides in track systems and increasing application requirements have already led DB to investigate numerous non-chemical vegetation control methods in the past. However, so far none of the considered methods had proven to be practicable. In 2016, DB initiated a project on the international level at the worldwide railway organisation (UIC) to determine and re-evaluate the current status and new options for vegetation control for the track area at all member railways. The project has now been completed and the methods "electroweeding" and "hot water" were considered as potentially suitable. Both processes are in the developmental stage and therefore can not yet be used in the track area. The DB holds the results of the UIC project and wants to investigate the currently identified alternative methods of vegetation control in a step-wise procedure under the specific conditions of the track area on its effectiveness. These should therefore be examined on model surfaces and real track systems before a further development in the direction of track-bound procedures is to be initiated. For this purpose, service companies in the field of chemical-free processes are to treat model areas on the grounds of the Julius Kühn Institute. The Julius Kühn Institute will accompany the treatments on behalf of DB, record and evaluate the success of the treatment.

The track systems of the DB must be cleared of growth from the operational and traffic safety. Purely chemical vegetation control is still taking place. The effects of the use of herbicides in the track systems as well as the additional requirements for the application have the DB to leave the procedure "electric weeding" and "hot water" as official measures. These chemical-free processes are treated on model areas on the JKI site. The JKI will carry out the investigations on behalf of the DB. If the result is positive, the two methods are to be used as a component for vegetation control in the track area.

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