HNICA

SUMMER TRAINING REPORT

ON
GEOTECHNICAL LAB

SUBMITTED TO
RESEARCH DESIGH AND STANDARD ORGANISATION (RDSO),

MINISTRY OF INDIAN RAILWAYS LUCKNOW

SUBMITTED BY :
FAZAL AHMAD

1
 Acknowledgement
First of all, I would like to hearty thank the RESEARCH DESIGH AND STANDARD ORGANISATION
(RDSO, LUCKNOW- MINISTRY OF INDIAN RAILWAYS) for giving me this golden opportunity to
undergo this summer training. This training would not have been successful without the constant
endeavour and support from all the hard working and repudiated faculty of entire GEOTEC
DEPARTMENT.

I am also grateful to my parents for encouraging me to undergo this training. Last but not the least I
would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my CIVIL DEPARTMENT and the HOD of CIVIL
DEPARTMENT for permitting me to undergo this training.
I will also thanks to all the people of R.D.S.O. Lucknow for nurturing with confidence and skills to
complete in the real world.

2
 Preface
This report is based on the basis of soil exploration, field investigation, and soil testing and literature
survey. The views expressed are subject to modification from time to time in the light of future
developments on the subject. The views do not represent the views of ministry of Railways (Railway
Board), Government of India
Simple soil tests are required for accessing quality of earth work on Railway projects. These tests
play an important role in maintaining quality of earthwork and thereby the performance of Railway
functions. However, In field while conducting stage inspections on zonal railways, it has-been that the
testing procedures vary which affects
the soil testing results thereby affecting the quality of work done. Lack of knowledge and proper
understanding of relevant specifications have also contributed to this situation.

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 Index
S.NO CONTENT Page NO.

1 INTRODUCTION 5

2 COMPONENT OF TRACK FORMATION 6

2 RUNNING CONDITION OF TRAINS IN INDIANS 8
RAILWAYS

3 REQUIREMENT OFHIGH SPEED TRAINS 10

4 ADVANTAGES OF HIGH SPEED TRAINS 11

5 WORLD RAILWAYS PRACTICE( China, Japan, 13

German, France)

6 TECHNOLOGY ADOPTED BYWORLD 15

RAILWAYS FOR HSR

7 RECOMMANDATIONS FOR IMPROVING 17

INDIAN RAILWAYS FORMATIONS

8 CONCULSION 21

4
 Introduction

Indian Railways (IR) is India's national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages
the fourth-largest railway network in the world by size, with 121,407 kilometres (75,439 mi) of total track over a
67,368-kilometre (41,861 mi) route. Forty nine percent of the routes are electrified with 25 KV AC electric
traction while thirty three percent of them are double or multi- multi-tracked.
IR runs more than 13,000 passenger trains daily, on both long-distance and suburban routes, from 7,349
stations across India. The trains have a five-digit numbering system. Mail or express trains, the most common
types, run at an average speed of 50.6 kilometres per hour (31.4 mph).In the freight segment, IR runs more
than 9,200 trains daily. The average speed of freight trains is around 24 kilometres per hour (15 mph).
As of March 2017, IR's rolling stock consisted of 277,987 freight wagons, 70,937 passenger coaches and
11,452 locomotives. IR owns locomotive and coach-production facilities at several locations in India. The
world's eighth-largest employer, it had 1.308 million employees as of March 2017.
In the year ending March 2018, IR is projected to carry 8.26 billion passengers and transport 1.16 billion tons
of freight. In the fiscal year 2017-18, IR is projected to have earnings of ₹1.874 trillion (US$28 billion),
consisting of ₹1.175 trillion (US$18 billion) in freight revenue and ₹501.25 billion (US$7.5 billion) in passenger
revenue, with an operating ratio of 96.0 percent.

As of March 2017, IR network spans 121,407 km (75,439 mi) of track length, while the route length is
67,368 km (41,861 mi). Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 80 to 200 km/h (50 to 124 mph),
though the maximum speed attained by passenger trains is 180 km/h (110 mph). As of March 2017, most of
the broad-gauge network is equipped with long-welded rails, pre-stressed concrete (PSC)sleepers and high
tensile strength 52kg/60kg 90 UTS rails Routes are categorised, from higher to lower order, as type A, B, C, D
and E.
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge, is the predominant gauge used by IR and spans 61,680 km (38,330 mi) of
route (92% of total route network). It is the broadest gauge in use across the world for passenger movement.
Broad gauge generated 100% of the freight output (Net tonne-Kilometres) and more than 99% of the
passenger output (Passenger Kilometres) in the fiscal year 2016-17.
The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge tracks; 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 610 mm (2 ft) narrow gauge tracks are
present on fewer number of routes. All of these routes, except the heritage routes, are being converted to
broad gauge. The metre gauge tracks were 3,479 kilometres (2,162 mi) (5% of total route network) and narrow
gauges tracks were 2,208 km (1,372 mi) (3% of total route network) as of 31 March 2017.

5
 Component of Track Foundation

Track Structure: Rail, Sleeper & Fastenings

Track Foundation: Ballast, Blanket & Fill Material.
Track Formation: Blanket, Sub-grade & Embankment
fill.

6
Ballast forms the Bed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between and around
the Sleepers. It is used to bear the load from the Sleepers, to facilitate drainage of water, and also to keep
down vegetation that might interfere with the track structure. This also serves to hold the track in place as the
trains roll by. It is typically made of crushed stone, although ballast has sometimes consisted of other, less
suitable materials.
Formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable or similar properties.
Sleeper is a rectangular support for the rail tracks. It is laid perpendicular to the rails, sleepers transfer loads
to the track ballast and subgrade. Sleepers hold the rails upright, and keep them spaced to the correct gauge.

• Gauge: defined as the minimum distance between two rails. Indian Railway follows this practice.
• Rails act as girders to transmit the wheel load to the sleepers.
• Rails are joined in series by welding a few of them (5 of them) and the welded lengths are joined by
fish plates and bolts
• Rails are fixed to sleepers by different types of fixtures and fastenings (chairs, bearing plates,
fish plates, fish bolts, spikes etc.).
• Sleepers hold the rails in proper position with respect to their proper tilt, gauge and level and
transmit the load from rails to the ballast. These sleepers are suitably spaced, packed and boxed (the
process of filling the ballast around the sleepers) with ballast. The typical length of a BG sleeper is
2.7 m.
• Ballast is a high quality crushed stone with desired specifications placed directly below the sleeper.
Ballast distributes the load over the formation and holds the sleepers in position and also functions as
drainage layer.
• Formation is the compacted and prepared subgrade which is the part of embankment or cutting
• Natural subgrade is the soil in the natural ground on which the track rests.
• Ballast cushion: The depth of ballast below the bottom of the sleeper, normally measured
under rail seat is termed as ballast cushion.
• Ballast shoulder: Ballast provided beyond the sleeper edge is termed as ballast shoulder
(shown as C in Fig., typically 0.35 m in a BG track)
• Ballast Base: It is the bottom width of ballastbed (typically 4.4 m in a BG track).
• Formation width: It is the top width of embankment or bottom width of cutting
(Typically 6.75 m in a BG track)
• Cess width: Width of formation beyond the toe of ballast is termed as cess width. It should not be
less than 90 cm

7
 Running Conditions Trains In Indian
Railway
India does not have any railways that can be classified as high-speed rail (HSR) by international standards,
i.e. railways with operational speeds exceeding 200 km/h (120 mph).[1]The current fastest train in India is
the Gatimaan Express with a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), which only runs between Delhi and Jhansi.

Bhopal Shatabdi Express

The Mumbai Rajdhani Express or Mumbai Central–New Delhi Rajdhani express that runs between Mumbai
and Delhi in India is a super fast express train of Rajdhani class belongs to Indian Railways. Rajdhani Express
is one of the very high speed train of India with the maximum speed of 130 kmph.

Sealdah Duronto Express

The Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express is Superfast express train that runs between Sealdah and
New Delhi. Duronto Express comes under non-stop type of express trains of Indian Railways and
considered as the fastest and most time-efficient train on the Grand Chord route between these two
cities.
Kanpur Reverse Shatabdi
The New Delhi Kanpur Shatabdi express is also known as Kanpur Reverse Shatabdi is another one
of the super fast train of Indian rail network. Kanpur Reverse Shatabdi is the fourth fastest train in
India, got its name because it follows the reverse timetable of Lucknow Shatabdi.
Howrah Rajdhani Express
The Howrah Rajdhani is the first fully air-conditioned train and one of the highest ranked train of
the Indian Railways also known as The King of Indian trains. Howrah Rajdhani Express train is the
5th fastest in India and the first train in India to have a wi-fi service.

8
Prior to the 2014 general election, the two major national parties (BJP and Indian National Congress(INC))
pledged to introduce high-speed rail. The INC pledged to connect all of India's million-plus cities by high-speed
rail, whereas BJP, which won the election, promised to build the Diamond Quadrilateral project, which would
connect the cities of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai via high-speed rail. This project was approved as a
priority for the new government in the incoming president's speech. Construction of one kilometre of high
speed railway track will cost ₹100 crore (US$15 million) - ₹140 crore (US$21 million) which is 10-14 times
higher than the cost of construction of standard railway.
India's Union Council of Ministers approved the proposal of Japan to build India's first high-speed railway on
10 December 2015. The planned rail will run approximately 500 km (310 mi) between Mumbai and the western
city of Ahmdabad at a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph). Under this proposal, the construction began in 2017
and is expected to be completed in the year 2022. The estimated cost of this project is ₹980
billion (US$15 billion) and is financed by a low-interest loan from Japan. Operation is officially targeted to
begin in 2023, but India has announced intentions to attempt to bring the line into operation one year earlier. It
will transport the passengers from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in just 3 hours and its ticket fare will be cheaper
than air planes i.e. ₹2500-₹3000.
Indian Railways aims to increase the speed of passenger trains to 160–200 km/h (99–124 mph) on dedicated
conventional tracks. They intend to improve their existing conventional lines to handle speeds of up to
160 km/h (99 mph), with a goal of speed more than 200 km/h (120 mph) on new tracks with improved
technology.
Initially the trains will have the maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), with railway coaches which can run at
the speed of 200 km/h (120 mph) will be rolled out from Railway Coach Factory of Indian Railway from June,
2015. Indian Railway coach factories are manufacturing semi-high speed coaches, but tracks are not capable
of supporting the same.

Dedicated Freight Corridors coming up across India will move cargo traffic from most of the current passenger
railway tracks and will support Indian Railways effort to increase the speed of the passenger trains to
200 km/h.
The Chinese Ministry of Railways ran a speed-up campaign from 1997 to 2007 to increase the speed of train
travel. The campaign was implemented in six rounds and increased average speed of passenger trains in
China from 43 km/h to 70 km/h. Several existing railway tracks were upgraded to run the trains at 250 km/h.
India uses Broad-gauge tracks, so it is expected that a speed-up campaign if implemented will increase the
average speed to 90 km/h, currently India's average express train speed is 50.9 km/h.
In February 2014, Henri Poupart-Lafarge of Alstom , manufacturer of trains used on TGV in France, stated that
India is at least 5–10 years away from high-speed trains. He suggested the country should first upgrade the
infrastructure to handle trains travelling 100–120 km/h (62–75 mph).
In July 2014, a trial run of a "semi-high speed train" with 10 coaches and 2 generators reached a speed of
160 km/h (99 mph) between New Delhi and Agra. The train, named Gatimaan Express, had its first
commercial run at 5 April 2016. It is expected to reach the maximum speed of 160 km/h and an average speed
of 113 km/h (70 mph).

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 Requirement Of High Speed Trains

 High-speed connectivity: India is a vast country and the need to travel faster has become a
necessity. While air transport can cater to such needs, the capacity that it offers simply cannot
match that of the railways. While making incremental changes to improve existing infrastructure is
desirable, it is equally important to adopt proven state-of-the-art technologies. The High Speed
Railway Line will be effective in meeting this requirement.
 Apart from diverting passengers from road and air, High Speed train generates a new class of
passengers as well. With the average operating speeds higher than 160 km/h.
 Less stress on the Railways: The conventional Indian Railways lags substantially in extending,
accelerating and modernizing its infrastructure and services. There is a serious need to segregate
its passenger business from freight. With advent of high speed trains the stress on the railways
would be reduced.
 Employment: The high speed train project is expected to create a lot of jobs opportunities.
 Urban expansion: New high speed train stations set to come up along the route will attract urban
growth. This will again shift the pressure of urbanization from the existing urban centres.
 Environmental: In the backdrop of increasing concerns over environmental pollution and
degradation of fossil fuels, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, high-speed electric trains
emit an eighth and a fifth of carbon dioxide as against automobiles and airplanes per passenger
km, respectively.
 Enhanced Safety: High Speed Railways’ safety record is remarkable. With a 2,500-km network,
providing high frequency, up to 14 trains per hour, the Shinkansen/Bullet train ever since its
inception has maintained a unique record of no fatal accident.
 Other avenues: The prime purpose of high speed trains in India to provide convenience to
commuters. However, it can also make a difference in freight transportation. Be it courier mail
services, perishables, or other items, any fast alternative to overloaded lorries should be welcome
for businesses as well as private consumers.

10
 Advantage of a high-speed rail network in
India
Indian railway network is world's largest railway networks comprising 115,000 km (71,000 mi) of
track over a route of 65,436 km (40,660 mi) and 7,172 stations. In 2014-15, IR carried 8.397 billion
passengers annually or more than 23 million passengers a day (roughly half of whom were suburban
passengers) and 1050.18 million tons of freight in the year.(wiki)
High speed rail network is modern part of India , Indian government have to do that if they want to
develop country. In 21st century transportation is playing major roll and mostly in large population
country like India. its also a sector for earning and employment in India.
It effects directly to Indian economy and development.
You cant compare air network and rail network in India , both have their own strength like
government cant build airport in every village in India. but in India you can see rail platform in 90% of
village.
its a benefit a short travel time from door to door and high speed rail can do that.its also a mindset of
peoples in India around 30% used air transportation and 80% used rail network. its a major difference
you cant convert them suddenly. it will take a time and time around 2-3-4... decades. so here i want
to mention benefits of high speed rail in India.

1. Environmental respect
While there is still some controversy over which form of transportation is more fuel efficient , trains or
cars, the amount of smog and pollution released into the city is much less with a high speed train
than with the number of cars necessary to transport the same amount of people.Efficient use of land
(1/3 motorway - Energy efficiency (x 9 planes / x 4 cars).

2. Total time of travel

Benefit a short travel time from door to door. High speed trains could reverse the current tendency for
cities to sprawl as wide as they can, with lots of new growth on the fringes and a neglected city center
Riding a train instead of driving frees up your attention and time to focus on the things you want –
from getting more work done to getting more downtime to catch up on your reading. And for trips of
less then 400 miles.
3. Price Comfort - there is a higher level of comfort (in terms of space, accelerations, noise, light,
etc.) than in the plane, bus, or a average car.high speed trains can get you from downtown to
downtown in about the same amount of time that air travel , can, at a much lower cost. If you
compare with cars and luxury buses you can see a huge difference.

4. high capacity of transport & traffic solution

What price do we put on the time we’re stuck in traffic? How about $87.2 billion a year lost in
automotive gridlock? If you live in a city with horribly congested freeways, you may be spending more
time sitting than you do actually driving. High speed railway can transport Up to 400,000 passengers
per day - Reduce traffic congestion.Fewer cars in the city centers means more space for people, and
the push toward more walk able cities benefits more than just those who live there.

5. Safer than Driving

High speed trains are the safeties transport medium.Tens of thousands of people die each year in
automobile accidents, but trains are one of the safest forms of transportation we currently
11
have. there's one death reported every 4 minutes on the streets of India. India holds the highest
number of deaths due to road accidents.Up today, no accident with injured passenger at more
than 200 km/h (world).

6. Economic boost

 Infrastructure
 Station emplacement
 Rolling Stock
 Operation rules
 Signalling systems
 Marketing
 Maintenance systems
 Financing
 Management
 Legal aspects
The economic benefits of a high speed train system come from a variety of angles. From the jobs
created to build the network, to the increased productivity which would come from more efficient use
of time (less sitting in traffic jams), to the increased access to transportation of goods and people for
local businesses, high speed trains make economic sense.A high speed rail network carrying electric
trains could be powered (at least in part) by renewable energy sources, reducing our need for foreign
oil, with all of its accompanying side effects.

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 World Railway Practice
Definition: This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts
by gauge, which is the measure of the distance between the inner sides of the load-bearing rails. The
four typical types of gauges are: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed
under note. Some 60% of the world's railways use the standard gauge of 1.4 m (4.7 ft). Gauges vary
by country and sometimes within countries. The choice of gauge during initial construction was
mainly in response to local conditions and the intent of the builder. Narrow-gauge railways were
cheaper to build and could negotiate sharper curves, broad-gauge railways gave greater stability and
permitted higher speeds. Standard-gauge railways were a compromise between narrow and broad
gauges.

Japan
Japan had tested magnetic levitation in April 2015. This seven bogeyed train of theirs had then gone
on to make a world record. Their speed – 603 km/hr! And this was two years ago. What is the great
achievement, then, if we travel at a speed of 320 km/hr in 2022?

Bullet trains have been running in Japan for the past 50 years. They have a 2,700 km network, and
the Japanese bullet train – known as Shinkansen – has not seen a single major accident in its entire
history of 50 years.

China
Let's assume that Japan is so ahead of us because they are tech giants. But what about places
closer home? China started running high speed trains only a few years ago.

Their process of getting these trains on track started in the ‘90s, but it caught actual speed only in
2007. However, in only 10 years, China has shown extraordinary growth – both in terms of speed, as
well as network.
The bullet train’s top speed in China is 430 km/ph and their high speed rail network is of 22,000 km. It also
makes up 60 percent of the whole world’s high speed train network. More importantly, China did not take help
from any other country in order to get their bullet trains on track.

13
India, on the other hand, has to spend Rs 1 lakh crore just to spread a 509 km track. At this rate, can
you even imagine spreading a 5,000 km track, let alone one that is 22,000 km in length?

France and Italy

France achieved a top speed of 574 km/ph 10 years ago. Even though this was only a test, it is safe
to assume that France is going to run its bullet trains at this speed in a few years from now. The
bullet train in Italy too, currently runs at a speed of 360 km/ph. Compared to these statistics, our 320
km/ph in 2022 seems rather paltry indeed.

Looking at the development other Asian and European nations have made, it does seem like we
have been "running" late. While you can say one is better late than never, it brings little relief when
you are surveying the Indian context.
The present Indian Railways network in itself is barely in an ideal state. Are the Shatabdi, Rajdhani or
Gatiman running at the speeds they are supposed to be running at?
The fact that we have seen four railway accidents in a month shows that while the “bullet train” could be a
dream, other issues in the country may be bearing the brunt of the expenditure required to realise this dream.
Is India turning into a recycle bin for technology from all over the world? While other countries are utilising their
own technology and making money, our organisations, barring ISRO, seem to be ‘running’ behind.

14
 Technology Adopted By World Railway For
HSR
Presently high-speed lines are rapidly expanding, primarily in Asia and Europe.
Spain (ADIF) is currently one of the largest investor worldwide with about € 20 billion over 5 years .
High-speed technology was originated in Japan and Subsequently in France. Later also the Germans
followed. The present world record for high-speed originates from 2003 and is hold by Japan with 581
km/h for maglev and by France with 574 km/h for wheel/rail technology. China has now commenced
commercial train speeds of 350 km/h. Figure 1 presents an overview of relevant high-speed data.

China And Japan

Structure forms and design theories of ballast lesstracks vary across the world due to the different
develop ent backgrounds. In Japan, the slab track wastypically laid on the solid foundation such as a
bridge ortunnel at first, and then gradually developed to the soil subgrade afterwards. It adopts the
unit design that takes into account the effect of train load. The German ballastless track was first laid
on the soil subgrade and then on the foundation of bridges and tunnels. Its continuous structure
involves the consideration of thermal effects. The early ballastless track in China was mainly laid in
tunnels with the chief concern being the influence of train load. With the and parameters as well as
the structure design procedures, and briefly introduces the advance in the design theories, of
ballastless track based on the innovative research achievements in China.􀀃Finally, some
suggestions on the future work are provided, including fatigue properties under the coupling action of
train and temperature load, durability, long-term dynamic properties, and maintenance mechanics of
the ballastless track.increasing application of ballastless track, a relatively general design theory and
a structural system have been gradually formed after the innovative research with high-speed railway
ballastless track. This paper reviews the calculation methods

Figure 1 Overview of high-speed lines in the world

Although Japan and France were the initiators of high-speed technology, their
track systems are quite different. The French network mainly comprises of
traditional ballasted track, whereas Japan primarily focused on slab track, with
their well-known J-Slab (Figure 2). Studies on life cycle cost and availability have
shown that non-ballasted tracks have great advantages. In Europe and other
parts of the world, the German Rheda2000 is the leading solution. However these
solutions could further be optimized, whereby the design cannot be seen
separate from the bearing capacity and soil properties of the subgrade.
In the design the vehicle track interaction plays a dominating role. Short wave and
long wave track irregularities should be considered in the dynamic analyses. The
maximum geometrical deviations applied in the analyses should also be
considered in the track maintenance standards and decision support systems.
Special attention is given in this paper to design and maintenance aspects for
long wave and short wave track irregularities.

15
FIG (1) Ballasted HSL track of KORAIL

FIG (2) J-Slab (Taiwan HSL)

FIG (3) Bögl prefab slab track

16
 Recommendation for Improving Indian
Railway Formation
• Composite geo-synthetic should be used to increase the load bearing capacity of the ballast
bed and reducing degradation. Provision of this will also prevent the occurrence of liquefied
soil(slurry) and its upward pumping that would foul the ballast.
• Provision of prefabricated drains may be adopted to reduce the cyclic pore pressures curtail the
lateral movements and increasing the shear strength and bearing capacity of soft formation.
• Green corridor like plantation may be provided for strengthening the behavior of soil. The tree
root can be effective form of natural soil reinforcement apart from dissipating the excess pore
water pressures and generate sufficient metric suction to increase the shear strength of the
surrounding soil.
• Construction of stone columns may also be used for enhancing the stability and bearing
capacity of soils. The presence of stone column would transform the ground into a composite
mass of granular cylinder. The composite ground can have a lower compressibility and higher
shear strength in comparison to natural soft soil.

 A formation play key role in good performance of track and yielding formations becomes a
bottle neck in running of traffic to its full potential
 Future formation needs to be designed and constructed for the sufficiently heavier axle load
which is likely to operate on the line
 Formations provide a base for the track structure . hence, formations with provision of blanket
layer of the top end underline sub grade layer of adequate strength is essential to be provided
with a rationale criterion for the safe operation of heavy axial load to increase the bearing
capacity of formation it is also required to be insert the layer of geo-synthetatic material like
geo-grid, geo-textile, geo-composite, drain etc.

 Composite geo-synthetic should be used to increase the load bearing capacity of the ballast
bed and reducing the degradation provision of this will also prevent the occurrence of the
liquefied soil and its upward pumping that would foul the ballast

17
 Provision of prefabricated drains may be adopted to reduce the cyclic pore pressure curtail the
lateral movement and increasing the shear strength and bearing capacity of soft formation
 Green corridor like plantation may be provided for the strengthening the behavior of soil. The
tree rood can effective form of natural soil reinforcement apart from dissipating the excess
pore water pressure and generate sufficient metric suction to increase the shear strength of
the surrounding soil.

Stone column for soil strengthening

• For soft clay formation, lime stabilization should be used for increasing the stability and
bearing capacity of soil. Using lime can substantially increase the stability and load bearing
capacity and decrease the permeability of subgrade.

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  Appropriate Track technology for mixed traffic regime of Semi high speed
& heavy axle load
The studies of Track requirements to run High speed railways, semi high speed railways as well as
heavy axle load trains on IR and also for developed global Railways viz Japan, Germany, France, &
USA etc as well as UIC standards have given certain ideas to adopt track standards/ specifications &
other requirement of track technology for mixed traffic
 Studies Undertaken
The studies are basically for 3 types of traffic requirement
* High speed traffic: (This is done as there is very little global experience of semi- high speed
traffic)
* Semi high speed traffic mostly on IR.
* Heavy axle load traffic on world railways.
* Heavy axle load traffic on IR (Dedicated Freight Corridor)
 Decision
Based on close analysis of studies undertaken for 4 types of traffic and taking an overall practical,
view Appropriate Track standards are suggested as given in next Table

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  Fittings & Fastenings for Appropriate Track
Due to heavy axle load, there is possibility of heavy wear & tear on fitting & fastening as per global
experience.
* Fastening get loose very fast and thereby effecting track geometry.
* Rubber pads get damaged early. Heavy crushing of rubber pads as can be seen in figure on main
paper.
* Glued Insulated Joint start failing because either insulation insulation gets broken or failure of
glue which bonds the joints.

 In order to overcome these problems, the following remedie are suggested

(i) Double elastic fastenings are recommended.
(ii) Develop better design of rail pads like ‘Three PointPad’
(iii) Bonded Insulated Joints are worst effected & their design to be further improved by looking
after the problem current design, maintenance & operation

 Points & Crossing:

* To be modernised to cater for higher speed of atleast 50 kmph & preferably 75 to 100 kmph.
* Thick web, fixed heel type, head hardened switches with flatter entry & cast mangense crossing.
* Indian Railways have already designed a new high speed turnout of 1:12 type which have
potential of 50 kmph

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  Recommended Track structure to suit the requirement of mixed traffic

Track Items Recommended track structure

Formation should be stable so as to take heavy load and also for semi-high
1. Formation
speed of 160 to 200 kmph
60 kg UIC rails having 90 UTS are recommended which can be suitable for
2. Rail semi high speed (160 to 200 kmph) as well as high axle load traffic up to 25
tonne axle load.
Prestressed concrete (PSC) sleepers are recommended. The sleeper density
3. Sleeper
should be 1660 sleeper per km.
Ballasted track is recommended with hard stone ballast having full ballast
4. Ballast cushion of 250 mm to 300 mm with 150 mm sub ballast. IF necessary, work
hardening to be done to improve quality of ballast.

(i) Double elastic fastenings are recommended.

(ii) To carry heavy axle load & to avoid failure of rubber pad, develop better
5. Fitting & design of rail pads like ‘Three Point Pad’
Fastenings (iii) Bonded Insulated Joints due to heavy axle loads these joints are worst
effected & their design to be further improved by looking after the
problems in current design, maintenance & operation

To be modernised to cater for higher speed of atleast 50 kmph & preferably 75

kmph to 100 kmph.
6. Points & Crossing
Indian Railways have already designed a new high speed turnout of 1:12 type
which have potential of 50 kmph
7. Maximum
For comfort & safety it should not be sharper than 1° (1750 m)
Curvature
In order to provide proper comfort to traveling public as well as to provide
8.Maximum
safety to passengers/goods, maximum superelevation of 150 mm is
superelevation
recommended.

A very smooth vertical curve is necessary for semi high speed railway to
9. Vertical Curve provide maximum comfort to passengers. The minimum vertical radius
recommended is 4000 m for safe & smooth ride.

Considering comfort of passengers & safety of passenger/goods, max.

10. Ruling Gradient gradient recommended is 1 in 400.

 Recommended Track structure to suit the requirement of mixed traffic

 Track Maintenance:
* Track has to be maintained mechanically by a fleet of modern track machines.
* Regular monitoring of track is required by sophisticated/modern track recording car
* Isolated track defects should be attended by off-track tampers.

 Rail Grinding: Due to heavy loads rail develops defect like Rapid rail wear & excessive wear
of rail on curves. Reprofiling should be done by Rail Grinding machine for prolonging rail
life as well to prevent defects in rail head.
 Track Transition areas (Bridge approaches, Level crossings & special track works)
* Due to differential settlement, extra track stiffness and differential damping trackComponents
gets damaged quite early.
* Extra track maintenance is required of these difficult locations
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  Bridges: Bridges should be designed for heavier loading. Quality of bridge construction and
maintenance requires to be improved.
 Level Crossings:
No Unmanned level crossing
Manned level crossing should be avoided. However, in unavoidable circumstances, it must be
nterlocked with signals.

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 CONCLUSION
 It is clear that high speed railways are expensive to construct, represent a considerable
spending in the transport infrastructure and produce economic and social effects.
 The factors that must be considered when implementing a high speed rail system can be
complex and do not always work in the favour of the nation building the rail line
Some benefits of implementation of HSR can be summarized as follows -
i. reduction in carbon emissions
ii. Increase travel punctuality and safety for interstate commuters.
iii. Reducing air pollution, vehicle accidents and traffic congestion.
 The geo-synthetic can provide an important option to improve track support stabilization and
thereby reduce track maintenance cost and operation costs.
 Track, being the basic infrastructure has to be updated/developed to provide appropriate track
technology as to ensure that it meets the challenges of mixed traffic of semi high speed as well
as of heavy axle loads.

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 References
[1] Joint Feasibility Study for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway Corridor by Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan and Ministry of Railways (MOR), Republic
of India
[2] Research paper downloaded from the website of RDSO, Lucknow and IRICEN, Pune.
[3] Brochure on High Speed Rail by UIC (International Union for Railways)
*******

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