Network Meeting, Düsseldorf

The first meeting of the second network year started with presentations of green tracks from the transport companies Rheinbahn AG, Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft AG and Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg.

Different demands on quality of greening and thus different priorities regarding system and maintenance were noticeable within the transport companies. Again, the wish for more support from municipality regarding maintenance became apparent.

News of the members: Apart from other German cities the transport companies of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main and Bremen built grass tracks in 2011. 2012 Berlin is going to build another 10 km of green tracks, Rheinbahn AG more than 2 km as well as EVAG from Erfurt. VAG (Nürnberg’s transport company) plans track greening for 2014. These data illustrate the rising trend of tram track greening in Germany.

The Training and Research Institute for Horticulture - Erfurt (Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt Gartenbau – LVG Erfurt) documents the development of recent green track trials and keeps contact to the transport company in Erfurt. In general the area around Erfurt poses problems for plant development in the track due to its low precipitation and no irrigation.

2011 NIRA GmbH & Co. KG delivered and installed more than one thousand square meters of turf altogether. It became apparent that more attention should be paid to tendered substrates on the one hand and to supervision of installed products on the other. Substrate thicknesses of only 5 to 6 cm above sleepers, compared to bigger substrate thicknesses within sleeper bays, are clearly too thin for lawn development under German conditions without irrigation. The resulting low water storage capacity of thin substrate layers leads to drought marks during dry weather conditions.

Subsequently the key topics of the network for the coming two years were defined (see project contents in menu) and further steps within the work group were discussed.

The network intends to present itself onto three exhibitions. They include GaLaBau in Nürnberg, Innotrans in Berlin and Light Rail Day in Stockholm. At the end of the meeting the network visited the grass tracks of Düsseldorf.