SWEDISH transport administration Trafikverket and Railcare, Sweden, have today unveiled a new snow-clearing machine at the Nordic Rail exhibition in Jönköping, Sweden.

The Snow Removal 700 is designed specifically for use in yards and depots, and melts the snow instead of ploughing it from the track. The 60m-long vehicle is propelled by a locomotive, and can remove up to 800m3 of snow in a single operation, clearing an area up to 5m wide.

Test operation of the machine will begin in Stockholm on November 15. Trafikverket plans ultimately to deploy Snow Removal 700s at yards in Tomteboda, Värtan, Västberga, and Södertälje. The machines will also be used in Stockholm Local Transport (SL) depots.

Railcare says the development project has a value of more than SKr 20m per year over the next five years, and it hopes eventually to market the machine to operators outside Sweden.