Dow Railway Technologies Help Keep Tracks and Stations Safer and Quieter; Reduce Track Maintenance and Repair

Marietta, GA - September 21, 2009

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) will launch a portfolio of proven technologies for North American freight and passenger railway systems at the 2009 AREMA Conference and Exhibition (Booth #513). High speed, short line, metro and freight railways this side of the Atlantic will now have access to Dow’s tailor-made polyurethane elastomer systems, which are widely used in Europe’s robust rail and tram sectors. By reinforcing ballast and controlling shock and vibration, Dow’s technologies help to increase railway service life, improve passenger safety and comfort, and reduce noise pollution.

"Traditional concrete or ballast rail systems are prone to vertical and horizontal shifting, vibrations, corrosion and heaving. This can lead to track misalignment, stray electrical currents, unacceptable noise levels, passenger discomfort and safety concerns," said David Frost, Business Development Leader, of Dow. "Dow polyurethane elastomers provide excellent track and ballast stability and noise absorption and are impervious to corrosion and moisture, helping to prolong track life and reduce maintenance and repair costs."

The portfolio of railway solutions developed by Dow and industry partners can be installed either track-side or in the factory, perform exceptionally well under harsh conditions, including extreme weight, friction, heat, cold and moisture, and can be tailor-made and custom-fit to suite any type of track, railcar or platform specifications.

Peter Woodward, Technical Director for XiTRACK Limited – one of Dow’s rail industry partners, and Reader in Railway and Geotechnical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland will co-present a technical paper entitled: "Three-Dimensional Track Reinforcement using Polymer Composites" at 8:00am on Tuesday 22nd September at the AREMA Conference, Hilton Chicago, Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Visitors to the Dow booth at AREMA will have the opportunity to speak to the companies’ elastomeric rail technology experts and learn more about the full portfolio of products and systems, which include:

Ballast Reinforcement:

• XiTRACK™ Geocomposite Technology provides ballast reinforcement which will reduce vertical and horizontal track movement, particularly in troublesome areas, such as ballast-to-concrete transitions. XiTRACK technology is a solution using Dow chemistry and computer modeling that accounts for soil strength, axle loading, line speed and other factors.

Noise and Vibration Dampening:

• Silent Track†† Sound Absorbers made with Dow polymers attach directly to the rail and can reduce peak track noise levels by 5-7dB(A).
• Series-Six† Rail Embedment and Vector† Booted System also reduce noise and vibration, provide stray current protection in addition to their track stabilization benefits.

Waterproofing & Corrosion Protection:

• HYPERKOTE™ Polymer Coating Systems can help extend the working life of bridges, concrete track and rolling stock by protecting against weathering, abrasion and corrosion.
• TRAFFIDECK™ Waterproofing & Surfacing Systems can help protect platforms, footbridges and car decks from water damage and help prevent passenger slip accidents.

About Dow

For Editorial Information:

Elise Heffelfinger
The Dow Chemical Company
+41 44 728 3269

Urszula Murphy
The Dow Chemical Company
(212) 697-2600