Bearing and seal manufacturing company, SKF has extended the passenger train wheelset maintenance intervals with the launch of its new SKF Passenger bearing 1.7 Mkm Cylindrical Roller bearing Unit (CRU).

Launched at this year’s InnoTrans 2018 fair, the SKF Passenger bearing 1.7 Mkm CRU is a sealed and greased unit that has been developed to run 1.7 Mkm between maintenance intervals.

The launch of the CRU version complements the SKF passenger bearing 1.7 Mkm range and offers rail operators even longer intervals between maintenance operations.

“To cope with increased competition railway operators need to constantly improve the life cycle cost of their fleets, without compromising service levels. Traditionally, wheels have been the most common bottleneck when it comes to maintenance intervals, but thanks to recent developments, they are now often outperforming bearings,” said Ondrej Novotny, Business Engineer, SKF.

“However, with the introduction of the SKF Passenger bearing 1.7 Mkm CRU wheel maintenance intervals are matched, helping operators to combine the two, saving both time and money.By applying SKF’s industry insight, technology and specialist services, SKF is helping rail operators drive smarter, more efficient practices right across the maintenance lifecycle.”

The bearings offering will also enable operators to achieve considerable efficiency gains, by aligning axlebox bearing maintenance with wheel maintenance.

By enabling two maintenance operations to be performed in one stop with fewer bearing replacements over the train lifetime, a significant reduction in overall costs can be achieved.