Application of line loads versus block loads for railway embankment stability assessment

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4. Application of line loads versus block loads for railway embankment stability assessment

The current Dutch guideline for existing railway embankments (ProRail, RLN00414-1) prescribes the use of the so-called Block Load as input for 2D limit equilibrium method (LEM) based slope stability assessment. The Block Load effectively is the highest local surface load acting on top of the embankment, i.e. underneath two adjacent train bogies. This approach is conservative in the sense that 3D effects occurring in the soil are ignored. By including these 3D effects the train load may be averaged over the full train length under certain conditions, i.e. the Line Load. Application of this Line Load will result in higher, more realistic, stability factors during stability assessment.

In this RESET study the conditions under which it is allowed to apply the Line Load instead of the Block Load are derived. An automated variation study was undertaken with the finite element software PLAXIS 3D, varying relevant variables such as the embankment height. Based on the model output a practical proposal is formulated stating that Line Loads are adequate to apply for embankments with a height (and sand thickness) of 3 m or more relative to the adjacent soil surface or, where applicable, relative to the bottom of a nearby ditch.

RESET is an acronym for the collaborative research program Reliable Embankments for the Safe Expansion of rail Traffic, between ProRail, TU Delft and Deltares. The aim of this program is to provide ProRail with the required methods, tools and knowledge to more accurately assess the actual geotechnical stability of railway embankments.

International Conference on Advances and Innovations in Soft Soil Engineering (ICAISSE2026)

Infrastructure Performance and Monitoring