Kiloutou starts renting railway maintenance equipment

Photo: Kiloutou

France-based equipment rental company Kiloutou has entered the railway maintenance sector, making it the first rental company to do so. 

Kiloutou said it had worked with the likes of ETF (Vinci Group), Eiffage Rail and Colas Rail sector prior to launching the new division to help identify the tools needed for their worksites.

The company then identfied 10 types of equipment that were commonly required, including thermal bolt guns, sleeper drills, rail cutters with fixing arms and tamping and vibrating machines for compacting ballast.

Some tools, such as the bolt gun and drill, are also available in battery-electric versions to help reduce the carbon footprint of maintenance work, Kiloutou said.

The tools, which have been supplied by Geismar and Cembre, were tested at its test centre before being either approved or authorised by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), France’s national state-owned railway company.

The range is currently available in the in the Centre-Val de Loire, Hauts-de-France and Île-de-France regions, but Kiloutou said it plans to gradually roll-out the service throughout France, in response to the need for maintenance of the rail network.

Kiloutou said it would benefit the sector by providing a model that would enable companies to reduce their investment in equipment purchases, benefit from the latest high-performamce equipment, reduce their carbon footprint of worksites, improve traceability and limit unintentional borrowing between service providers.

Pierre Knoché, managing director, France, Kiloutou, said, “Kiloutou is the first rental company to offer a high-performance solution for the rental of track maintenance equipment.

“More than a simple alternative, it is a real lever for transformation, enabling our customers to remain competitive and agile in a constantly changing environment. As partners in our customers‘ performance, we are committed to playing an active part in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions – the structural benefit of rental – while guaranteeing irreproachable operational efficiency, where safety and reliability are the key words’.