Taicang Zhongbo Railway Fastening (ZBRF) is a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of rail fastenings. The company provides products for use in railroad networks, urban transit, and industry cranes across the globe.
Zhongbo manufactures and supplies multiple types of rail fastening systems, including W type, E type, and spring blade type, for concrete, wood, and steel sleepers, as well as concrete slabs. This means Zhongbo’s products can meet many different railroad demands. The company has also supplied heavy haul rail fastenings to Maya train section 1, Mexico, TRC lot 5, Tanzania, and USA Trackwork.
For urban transit, Zhongbo has supplied rail fastenings for metros and trams in more than 40 cities in China. Zhongbo’s range of products includes covered rail fastenings for railroad network speeds under 250km/h for normal axles, and 160km/h for heavy hauls (up to an axle load of 35 tons), both according to AREMA and EN13481 specifications. The company is also ISO, CRCC, and DB certified.
Fastenings for the global railroad industry
Zhongbo supplies a range of rail fastenings, including heavy haul and anti-vandal fastenings, that are suitable for use with heavy haul passenger trains or mixed freight running services. Anti-vandal fastenings can also help to prevent theft in areas where rail fasteners are regularly stolen.
For urban transit, Zhongbo produces DFF III, W12, and WG rail fastenings that can be used with a variety of different tracks, including metro, underground, and light rails, as well as ballast or ballastless tracks. Each fastening has different advantages such as lower levels of vibration, better insulation, greater strength, or a higher anti-pulling force.
In addition, Zhongbo also manufactures safelock and SB rail clips, screw spikes with a variety of different heads, various nuts and bolts, track spikes, and rail anchors.
In the US and Brazil, Zhongbo supplies E type rail fastenings and W14 rail fastening systems, along with rail clips, tramway fastenings, crane rail clips, track bolts and joint bars, screw spikes, tie plates, and concrete ring connection bolts for tunnels. All products from Zhongbo comply with the relevant industry standards and any additional specifications requested by clients.
In western Europe and Africa, Zhongbo mainly supplies W rail, spring blade, and KP fastening systems, as well as metro rail fastenings, fish plates and fish plate bolts, sleeper screws, lock spikes, and spear bolts for tunnels.
The main products supplied to eastern Europe and central Asia include W and KP rail fastening systems, rail joint bars, track bolts, track spikes, and tie plates. For southeast Asia and Australia, the most common products that are supplied include E and W type rail fastenings, heavy haul and metro rail fastenings, and fishplates and bolts. The company also regularly supplies track spikes, turnout accessories, and concrete ring connection bolts to these areas.
On a national level, Zhongbo’s rail fastenings and concrete connection bolts are used in the Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shijiazhuang, Lanzhou, Hefei, and Guangzhou metro services, as well as in many other cities across China. After developing the WA-1 type rail fastening system for tramways in 2012, the company tested it at Shanghai Tongji Transportation University with great success. Following this, the rail fastenings were then selected to be used in Phase I and Phase II of the Nanming River, Guiyang city project, and in Phase I of the Zhuhai tramway project.
Quality testing for rail fastening systems
Zhongbo has a professional research and development team that works to improve rail fastenings across all fields. The company has so far been awarded more than 40 patents for different products, including metro railway fastening systems and tramway fastening systems.
To help ensure the highest quality of metal and non-metal products, Zhongbo has a full range of testing facilities available, allowing the company to check the quality of all products in-house. All rail fastenings are thoroughly tested and inspected and undergo chemical composition and physical property checks, as well as microhardness, fatigue, and anti-corrosion testing. Zhongbo can also conduct rail fastening system performance tests that adhere to EN and AREMA standards.
Using rail fastening repeat load testing, the company can test the fatigue properties of railway fastenings by simulating real-world environments to assess the quality of the products after they have been installed on tracks. Metal products undergo metal graph inspections to check the steel quality and see how it performs after heat treatments. The results of these tests are then used to adjust heat treatment parameters to improve the performance and technical specifications of the products. Zhongbo also uses multi-testing machines to perform tensile strength, toe load, and bending tests, as well to check the elasticity of spring washers and blades.
To further guarantee quality products, all Zhongbo staff are fully trained and certified by the local authority or specialised institutions, making them experts in quality control.
About Zhongbo
Zhongbo was established in 2008, but its team of product developers had been working to improve railway fastening technology since the 1990s. With more than 15 years of manufacturing and supply experience, Zhongbo has supplied fastenings to over 60 countries worldwide.
Through its partnership with the Southwest Transportation University and industry professionals, Zhongbo invests in research and development (R&D) efforts to design and test new products and promote innovation within the rail industry. A dedicated R&D team works to improve rail fastenings across the sector. The company is also committed to providing excellent working conditions for all its staff and is constantly focused on labour protection and workplace improvements to benefit its workers.
As a company, Zhongbo has a strong sense of social responsibility and donates to the local community to help promote growth and innovation in Taicang and the surrounding areas.
