Urban planners are obliged to expand local public transport and railway systems to cope with the rapid development of urban spaces. Long term durability, electrical resistance and low maintenance are essential. There is also an increase in requirements for reduced vibration and noise in the rail fastening system, making flexible, volume-compressible grout materials an effective solution.
2. Continuous, Embedded Rail Track
With continuous under-sealing or embedded rail fixation, the rail track is recessed into the substrate, creating a continuous, uninterrupted rail line. This is commonly used for urban tram tracks.
Sika provides grout, elastic joint sealing and adhesive material for embedded rail tracks.
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Why Sika® Icosit® KC Flexible, Polyurethane Grouts for Rail Fixing
Sika® Icosit® KC 340 polymer resin grout products are made of a flexible, two-part polyurethane. They are insensitive to moisture and designed as a vibration-absorbing, load-bearing, flexible grout for discrete fixation, continuous undersealing or embedding rails.
The Sika® Icosit® KC range has won worldwide recognition for tailor-made, long-lasting direct fixation of rails to solid substrates such as concrete and steel. They are incorporated into a variety of trackwork designs - in discrete and continuous fixation, embedded or floating rail, lawn tracks, for railway, light rail, tram tracks and crane track installations.
Silent, Smooth Tracks for a Peaceful Urban Experience
Effective noise and vibration reduction
- Resilient intermediate layer for optimum reduction of noise and vibration transmission, i.e. vibration damping, cast-in-situ after alignment to eliminate voids under the rail and to ensure continuous and homogenous fixation
- Increase comfort and smooth train operation, also known as "silent tracks"
- Appropriate selected Shore A hardness for a given type of rolling stock ensures primary noise reduction by reducing vibrations and secondary noise, increasing the comfort and smooth running of the train, allowing it to meet noise standards requirements. This feature also ensures the right level of rail deflection.
Sika’s Flexible PU Rail Grouts – All-Around Advantages
High Durability & Low Maintenance Costs
- Load bearing - resistant to dynamic loads and permanent alignment of rails ensuring track stability
- Leveling out inevitable tolerances between rail and concrete or steel substrate
- Long-term resistance against water and most detergents allows the long service life of applied solution in wash train stations
- Short-term (minimum 3 days) resistance against: mineral oils, diesel, fuel, vegetable and animal fat; allows the long service life of applied solution in the case of tracks integrated with road surface
- Extremely low (close to zero) maintenance costs and long service life, thanks to the above points
Versatility
- Suitable for any kind of rails (e.g. 60R1, 60R2, 49E1, etc.).
- Has selected versions of materials for concrete and steel substrates, depending on the application (tram, train, underground and overhead, etc.)
Increased Safety with Low Risk
- Added safety and maximum performance due to excellent parameters of Sika® Icosit® KC products
- Highly efficient electrical resistivity for prevention of stray current leakage to safeguard against signaling malfunction
Easy Application
- Manually apply, or
- Machine apply – highly ecological and economical solution due to reduced waste and less application time needed
Certified Quality Provides Security
Before being released, the products of the Sika® Icosit® KC series have to undergo extensive in-house testing using sophisticated equipment under realistic conditions.
In addition to that, large-scale field tests are complemented by independent, third-party testing facilities, such as the Technical University of Munich, the University of Calgary (Canada), AEA Rail Technology (UK), the University of Louvain (Belgium), the University of Györ (Hungary) and many others. German Railways (DB) ranked Sika as "Q1", meaning top quality supplier. Many other railway authorities also rely on the approved track fixing designs with flexible grout from the Sika® Icosit® KC series.
To supplement test reports with long-term in-field experience, a perfectly intact 28-year-old discrete, direct fixation with Sika® Icosit® KC grout was removed from the Heinrichsheim bridge in Bavaria, Germany. The Technical University of Munich produced a load deflection (spring) diagram. In comparison with the corresponding diagram from the quality control at the time of installation in 1971, it only showed a loss of flexibility of 6% (+/- 10% production tolerance) after 28 years - proof of outstanding longevity.
"Trustful systems can stand the test."
Get Rail Tracks Back in Service Fast with Innovative Curing-by-Design Technology
In railway track work, there is a growing demand for fast overnight repairs and a quick return to service. Maintenance windows are usually limited to just a few hours at night, during which rail tracks can be taken out of service. Conventional rail-fixing products may require more time to cure than these short closures allow.
To meet these demanding schedules, traditional two-component polyurethane products often require specific working methods, additional equipment, or special tools during track renovation. Their curing time can exceed the available maintenance window, particularly when both application and hardening time are taken into account.
This challenge can now be addressed with smart chemical formulations powered by Curing-by-Design technology, which provide a longer open time while enabling faster curing. Sika® Icosit® KC-350/45 and Sika® Icosit® KC-350/65 are elastic rail-fixing grouts developed using this technology.
Corrosion Protection of Underground Metallic Structures in Railway & Tramlines
In electrified rail and tram systems, stray electrical currents accelerate the corrosion of buried metallic structures such as pipelines, tanks, and foundations, posing long-term risks to infrastructure integrity and safety.
Sika® Icosit® Dielectric Membrane can effectively reduce current dispersion to prevent corrosion and interference, especially in dense urban areas with existing underground utilities.
Proven Real-world Applications of Sika® Icosit® Systems
Sika® Icosit® elastic rail fixing grouts have been used in a wide range of railway and urban transit projects where reliable load transfer, vibration reduction, durability, and efficient installation are essential.
These case studies present proven real-world applications of Sika® Icosit® systems under different track, infrastructure, and operating conditions, demonstrating how the solutions perform in practice across documented projects.
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