Alternative Sleeper Sourcing Project  

QR is pursuing alternative sleeper technologies with an emphasis on composite type sleepers. There are over 9 million timber sleepers on the QR network and in 2003/2004 QR expects to use approximately 280,000 hardwood sleepers during maintenance. Over the life cycle of the sleeper, significant environmental gains can be made by introducing sleepers other than the traditional hardwood type. Specifically, the following beneficial environmental outcomes are expected:

• Use of recycled waste materials to manufacture the sleepers;
• Ability to recycle the sleepers at the end of their service life;
• Elimination of the use of preservatives/insecticides/termiticides;
• Conservation of valuable timber resources; and
• Reduction of greenhouse gas generation due to the expected increased life cycles for ‘composite sleepers’.    

The current status of sleeper development ranges from full production in the US for their local markets through to those suppliers that are still developing prototypes/potential materials. The following provides a summary of the progress with the development of alternative sleeper technologies: 

• 500 trial prestressed concrete sleepers based on actual in-track performance data.
• A small quantity (12) of sleepers made from recycled products in track under trial.
• The production of two fibre composite prototype sleepers.