Railway Transition Zones

Abstract

Railway tracks are subjected to constant degradation over the operational period leading to high maintenance and operation costs. To add to this railway transition zones experience 4–8 times more degradation and need more frequent maintenance compared to normal tracks. Railway transition zones are areas where the railway tracks cross a different transportation modality (road, waterway, etc.) or where the rail experiences major changes in the type of track support structure. Several studies have pointed out that the transition zones show amplified dynamic responses due to abrupt changes in stiffness and differential settlement in these zones. Consequently, an increased deterioration of geometry and material is observed in these zones. Numerous attempts have been made to address the abovementioned factors at the superstructure and substructure level. However, an effective intervention to mitigate the amplified degradation in these zones is missing. In this chapter, an overview of the problem and existing solutions is presented. Moreover, a novel design methodology to design railway transition zones is proposed and discussed in detail. The design methodology includes the formulation of a design criterion, identification of design parameters, investigation of key phenomena governing design and proposing an optimized design solution.