The Malmbanan railway line, linking the mining city of Kiruna in northern Sweden with the ice-free port of Narvik in Norway, is renowned for carrying some of the heaviest trains in Europe, each weighing over 8,000 tons. This vital corridor has become a benchmark in railway engineering and logistics within the European mining industry, demonstrating the demands placed on modern rail infrastructure.
Meeting these demands requires specialized components, such as the ULT 25 LL (“Long Life”) wheelset, designed to extend the lifecycle of wheels through extra machining allowance, allowing for an additional reprofiling. The wheelset achieves this through increased initial rim thickness and optimized tread geometry, ensuring sufficient material for re-machining and maintaining performance over extended service periods.
KLW developed a modification of proprietary wheel design for the heavy haul line ULT 25 LL. The client will use our 920 mm wheels to transport ore from mines in northern Sweden, where temperatures can drop to -40 °C and axle loads reach 25 tons.
Niclas Eriksson, Senior Sales Specialist for European and International Markets, highlighted the company’s commitment to customer needs:
“We have been working with the customer for a long time to meet their requirements on short notice. This time, we already had a design that could be adapted with minor adjustments. However, there are occasions when a completely new wheel or wheelset design, approved under TSI regulations, must be developed quickly. Our ability to do this is reflected in the long-term relationships we maintain with our clients.”
Interpipe, a Ukraine-based global producer of steel pipes and railway products, operates in over 70 countries through a network of sales offices in key markets across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. In 2025, the company delivered 470 kilotons of pipes and 89 kilotons of railway products. Its railway components are marketed under the KLW brand, serving demanding applications such as the Malmbanan heavy haul operations.
