Construction of a New

Railway Line
The construction of a new railway
track can be divided into three stages.
1.Earth work.
2.Plate laying
3.Laying of ballast
Earth work
 The formation may be in an embankment or a cutting depending upon
the general topography of the area.
 A formation in an embankment is normally preferred from the point
of view of good drainage.
 The height of embankment above highest water in the area should be
at least 60 cm.
Gauge Type of Width of Formation
formation Single line Double line
B.G Embankment 6.10m 10.82m
Cutting 5.40m 10.21m
M.G Embankment 4.88m 8.84m
Cutting 4.27m 8.23m
Plate laying
 The operation of laying out of the rails and sleepers over the ready
formation is known as plate laying.
 The point from where the laying of track starts is known as the base
and the point upon which the new track is carried out is known as the
rail head.
 Methods of plate laying

1.Tramline method or side method

2.Telescopic method
3.American method
Tram Line Method
•In this method, a temporary line known as
the ‘tram line’ is laid by the side of the
proposed track for taking track materials to
the site.
• This method is useful in flat terrain, where
laying the tram line on natural ground may
be comparatively easier.
•This method is, however, seldom used in
practice.
 American Method
•In the American method, rails and sleepers are first
assembled in the base depot and pre-assembled
track panels are then taken to the site along with the
necessary cranes, etc.
• The track panels are unloaded at the work site
either manually or with the help of cranes and are
then laid in the final position.
•This procedure is used in many developed countries,
particularly those where concrete sleepers are laid,
since these sleepers are quite heavy and it is not easy
to handle them manually.
Telescopic Method
•This method is widely used on Indian Railways. In this
method, the rails, sleepers,and other fittings are taken
to the base depot and unloaded. The track material is
then taken to the rail head and the track is linked and
packed.
•The rail head is then advanced up to the extent of laid
track. The track material is then taken up to the
advanced rail head with the help of a dip lorry and the
track is again linked and packed.
•In this way, the rail head goes on advancing till the
full track is linked.
Unloading of materials
• The track material is taken to the base depot and
unloaded with the help of material gangs. All track
material is taken from the base depot with the help
of a dip lorry (a special type of trolley) to the rail
head. The rail head goes on advancing till the track is
sufficiently linked.
•After that, a subsidiary depot is established at a
distance of about 5 km where the track material is
taken with the help of a material train.
• In the base depot, advance arrangements such as
adzing and boring of the sleeper and arrangement of
matching materials are made so that the track is
linked as soon as possible to the site.
Track linking
Once the track material is unloaded, the track is linked with the
help of linking gangs.
Track packing
The track is then thoroughly packed with the help of beaters by
‘packing-in-gangs’. The following aspects should be checked.
(a) The track should have a proper gradient.
(b) The track should have proper curvature, if it is on a curve
(c) The cross levels should be even. If super elevation is to be
provided, the outer rail should be raised so as to have the
recommended superelevation.
(d) The track should be thoroughly packed and no spaces should
be left.
Laying of ballast
•The ballast is normally spread on the railway
lines after the embankment has settled well and
at least two monsoons have passed over it.
•The work of spreading the ballast is done by
means of ballast trains, which have special
hoppers through which the ballast can be
automatically unloaded onto the track.
•Alternatively, ballast is loaded in wagons of the
train and then unloaded at the site into a number
of heaps at suitable intervals along the track.
•Then packing of ballast is done by the workers by
means of shovels.