Vossloh strengthens turnout production in Sweden
posted on 22nd May 2026 19:50
On 20 May 2026, in the town of Sannahed, Vossloh has commissioned a new turnout plant. The facility marks a technological leap in turnout production: For the first time, Vossloh is using an automated assembly line with robotic installation of sleepers. The new plant can produce up to 900 turnouts per year.
“Sweden’s first new switch factory in over a century is a significant milestone for the Swedish railway system,” said Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Andreas Carlson at the inauguration. “It is a good example of collaboration in the railway industry and absolutely essential for eliminating bottlenecks, strengthening resilience, and continuing the work to clear the maintenance backlog that has built up over a long period of time.”
Turnouts in Sannahed are assembled on a conveyor belt across five consecutive stations. A robotic arm installs the sleepers, and then the turnout is built up step by step in the 150-meter-long hall. The automated process replaces many of the traditionally manual tasks in turnout production. The new plant combines industrial turnout production with digital lifecycle management, for example through the use of digital twins of the turnouts. A dedicated hall is reserved for special-purpose production as well as for the training and further education of skilled workers.
Sannahed is located in central Sweden, between Kumla and Hallsberg, at the country’s most important rail hub. The new plant replaces the production site in nearby Örebro, where turnouts for the Swedish rail network and the neighboring Nordic countries had been manufactured since 1914.
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