A New Product from the Netherlands: Bamboo Railroad Sleepers
Dragon Wood Rail uses fast-growing, climate-friendly bamboo as an alternative to wood and concrete in rail construction.
DragonWood Rail showcased bamboo-based solutions for sustainable and durable railway infrastructure at InnoTrans. Photo: Messe Berlin
This is Lars Lamet’s first time at InnoTrans—and he’s more than satisfied with his booth: Every visitor who enters Hall 5.2 has to pass by him and his company, Dragon Wood Rail. Many stop to take a look, since bamboo railroad ties are still largely unknown in Europe.
Lars Lamet and his business partner Thomas Lambooij came up with the idea for the company six years ago. Both had previously worked for a heavy-haul transport company and dealt extensively with tropical hardwood. That’s how they learned about the extraordinary properties of bamboo. This grass-like plant stores five times as much CO₂ as trees, is fully recyclable, and produces no pollutants.
Positive Carbon Footprint
“Even though we import our bamboo from China to Europe, we still achieve a positive carbon footprint because bamboo stores more CO₂ than the transportation emits,” explains Lars Lamet. ´
Over its entire lifespan, bamboo is also more cost-effective than wood, as the railroad ties last up to 40 years—twice as long as conventional wood, Lamet promises. While concrete or plastic may be cheaper, they have a worse carbon footprint. “With our bamboo, the track can become a carbon sink instead of emitting CO₂,” the founder explains.
The bamboo composite from Dragon Wood Rail derives its stability from a special processing method. First, the hollow stem is cut into narrow strips. These are then treated with steam to remove the nutrients from the bamboo and thus protect it from insect damage. In the next step, the material is dried and pressed into blocks using a resin. Scientists at the University of Munich have confirmed its stability and suitability for rail operations.
Bamboo Bridge
In Colombia, this composite material is already being used in bridge construction. It’s not just the sustainability that has won people over there, but also the stability and value for money compared to concrete. Wooden railroad ties are often eaten away by termites in this South American country, whereas termites won’t touch bamboo, explains Lars Lamet.
Currently, he and his business partner are looking for Colombian plantations to produce their material locally in the future. He is also in talks with producers in Spain and Portugal. So far, however, European suppliers have not had sufficient quantities available.
Lars Lamet hopes that InnoTrans will provide an opportunity to engage with potential customers. “Once we know what they need, we can work together to develop suitable products,” he says. His bamboo composite could, for example, also be used in noise barriers or at railroad switches.
In the coming years, Dragon Wood Rail plans to further optimize production and expand into the European market in addition to the South American one.