Railway Interchange 2017 Buzz

Sessions Speakers Floor Plan Buzz

Rail Geometrical Behavior Under Revenue Service in Rail Transit Systems (Room Sagamore 6)

19 Sep 17
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Tracks: AREMA Full Schedule, AREMA Technical Sessions- P&T

The use of concrete crossties and ballasted track for rail transit systems has grown in recent years and continued growth appears likely in the coming years. Hence, it is important to completely understand the performance of this type of track superstructure for rail transit systems to increase the likelihood of the components lasting their design life. In order to ensure the safe and efficient performance of railroad track, preservation of track geometry is a critical factor. Therefore, rail displacements must be controlled. As part of a large rail transit infrastructure research program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a study of the movements of the rail under revenue service rail transit traffic was performed. Using revenue service field data, the relative displacements of the rail with respect to the crosstie are quantified and analyzed. The study includes field data from both light rail and heavy rail transit allowing for more meaningful conclusions. In addition, dynamic load and train speed effects are considered. Ultimately, the performance of the elastic fasteners used in rail transit systems are assessed, and recommendations for future design improvements can be made.