Every kind of vac
Hi-Rail Vacuum Truck
Vacuum power that runs on the rails.
A hi-rail vacuum truck is fitted with retractable rail gear so it can drive on railroad track, bringing vacuum excavation and cleanup directly to rail corridors and remote track sites.
What a hi-rail vacuum truck is
A hi-rail (highway-rail) vacuum truck carries retractable flanged wheels that let it travel both on roads and along railroad tracks. Once on the rail, it delivers vacuum excavation, ballast handling, and material recovery at track-side locations that highway vehicles cannot reach, without closing the corridor to road traffic.
How it works
The crew positions the truck at a grade crossing, lowers the hi-rail gear onto the rails, and drives along the track to the work site. There it performs the same water-or-air vacuum excavation and recovery as a road unit, exposing signal and utility lines, removing ballast and spoil, and cleaning track-side drainage, then returns and re-rails to the highway.
When to choose a hi-rail vac
Choose a hi-rail vacuum truck for any work inside a rail corridor: signal and crossing utilities, ballast and fouled-material removal, and track-side excavation where access is only practical along the rails.
What a hi-rail vac handles
- Track-side utility and signal excavation
- Ballast removal and track cleaning
- Grade-crossing and switch maintenance
- Culvert and drainage clean-out along rail
- Remote rail-corridor potholing
- Derailment and spill recovery on track
Questions
Hi-Rail Vacuum Truck FAQ
What is a hi-rail vacuum truck?
It is a vacuum truck equipped with retractable rail wheels (hi-rail gear) so it can drive on railroad track as well as roads. This lets it reach track-side work sites to excavate around signals and utilities, remove ballast, and clean drainage within the rail corridor.
Why use a hi-rail truck instead of a standard vacuum truck?
When the work is inside a rail corridor, a standard truck often cannot reach it. Hi-rail gear lets the truck travel along the tracks to the exact location, which is essential for signal, ballast, and track-side excavation.
Find hi-rail vac service providers by state & province
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- Saskatchewan20 cities
- Yukon4 cities