Two Ways to Ride the Rails: Liebherr’s RE 22 M Brings a New Undercarriage to Track Work

Unveiled at InnoTrans, the 22-tonne RE 22 M Litronic can travel on its rail axle or on its road tyres, and replaces the A 922 Rail and A 924 Rail

Rail maintenance windows are short, often a few hours in the night, and every minute spent repositioning the machine is a minute not spent on the track. That is the problem Liebherr tackles with the new RE 22 M Litronic, which made its world debut at InnoTrans.

The machine is Liebherr’s first entry into the 22 to 25.7-tonne operating weight class with hydrostatic rail-wheel drive. It succeeds the A 922 Rail and A 924 Rail, keeping proven components from the A 922 Rail while introducing a new undercarriage and a new cab. Liebherr has built railroad excavators since 1967 and describes itself as the global market leader in the segment.

An undercarriage with two travel modes

The key innovation is the newly developed rail undercarriage, fitted as standard and currently subject to a patent application.

• With the hydrostatic rail-wheel drive, the machine travels on its rail axle with the undercarriage lowered and the boom raised (Category 9A).
• Fitted with road tyres, it can instead run with the undercarriage raised and the tyres on the rails (Category 9C), generating traction while protecting the infrastructure.

In practice, crews can travel and work in different positions without changing machine, which makes the excavator more flexible on mixed jobs.

The oscillating axle locks automatically when the machine is working, for stability, and floats during travel for traction and ride quality. The new rail axle delivers 50 kN of tractive force and, subject to national approval, allows up to 40 km/h. In an emergency, the machine can be towed at up to 60 km/h.

For heavier lifting, an optional centre-mounted two-point support system adds stability while keeping the machine compact. Thanks to patent-pending kinematics, the supports stay close to the machine even when fully extended, adding minimal width in confined work areas.

Compact tail, familiar upper structure

The rear swing radius is 2,000 mm as standard, rising to 2,110 mm with an optional heavier counterweight package, subject to approval. That matters on routes where adjacent lines remain in service.

The upper structure comes from the A 922 Rail, with ground-level access for routine maintenance. The dual cab has been completely redesigned, with a dedicated driver’s position in the upper section and a Comfort seat as standard. Liebherr’s INTUSI operating concept moves the functions of the old steering-column control panel into the display, clearing the cab and the operator’s view.

Hydraulics for demanding attachments

The RE 22 M uses the 120 kW engine from the A 922 Rail. The hydraulic system is built around a Liebherr variable-displacement double pump with independent circuits and a flow rate of 2 x 220 l/min. Powerful attachments can therefore run independently of working and travel movements, and a second high-pressure circuit controls three hydraulic functions on specialised tools directly.

For track contractors, the combination of a larger weight class, flexible travel modes and strong auxiliary hydraulics widens the range of jobs one machine can handle in a single possession. Liebherr has not yet communicated a market launch date.