We won the Nowkuński Award!!!

The innovative prefabrication technology for turnouts, crossings, curve slabs and entire tramway hubs received an award in the Inż. Józef Nowkuński Competition during the 2023 TRAKO Fair. Items displayed at the KZN Bieżanów Group’s outdoor stand, demonstrating a prefabricated tram turnout, attracted crowds of interested people.

The statuette was received by representatives of the KZN Bieżanów Group for developing the comprehensive CONTRACK technology for prefabricating tram permanent way structures. The innovative product integrates three basic pavement elements: steel structure of tram permanent ways, prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs with rail ducting and polyurethane material for continuous flexible rail fixing.

As a novel solution, this product significantly reduces the installation time for the most complex structures of tram permanent ways – moving the most time-consuming part of production to the manufacturer’s plants allows for installing the prefabricate even over a weekend (72 h). The competition committee also appreciated the possibility of reducing social costs generated during construction or pavement renovation works – road managers can significantly reduce inconvenient traffic changes, the need to organize alternate transportation and avoid endless traffic jams. CONTRACK also means higher initial product quality, better control of the structure’s life cycle costs (LCC) and the possibility to replace the steel part of the track system without dismantling the concrete layer.
During the TRAKO Fair, KZN Bieżanów Group also talked about the first prototype installation of a prefabricated tram turnout using CONTRACK technology, which was erected in Bytom earlier this year. Based on this experience, they announced the introduction of prefabricated crossing and curve slabs as well. “We took a comprehensive approach to the CONTRACK technology. Taking advantage of KZN Bieżanów’s experience in prefabrication of railway turnouts and production of tram turnouts, as well as KZN Rail’s extensive practice in installing and transporting these structures, we have developed a technology that covers production, logistics that relies on a dedicated PWP gantry system, installation and maintenance of the product, along with the possibility of replacing just the steel part of the turnout.

"Receiving the Inż. Józef Nowkuński Award motivates us all the more to continue driving the development of our technology,” says Grzegorz Leszczyński, Vice President of KZN Bieżanów Group.