Geotechnical works impacting existing railway infrastructure – French practice in railway safety measures
Geotechnical works impacting existing railway infrastructure – French practice in railway safety measures
The railway network in Europe spans approximately 200,000 km of track. Since 2012, a single interoperable European railway area facilitates the transportation of both passengers and goods across the continent. The needs for higher efficiency transportation modes are rapidly growing, and the shift towards rail in the EU is expected to accelerate because of its high environmental performance, sustainability, and safety. Meanwhile, the existing infrastructure is aging, with many assets being over a century old (earthworks, bridges, and tunnels). To meet these new challenges, modernization of the existing network is imperative. The regeneration of railway structures generally involves significant geotechnical engineering works due to the lack of available space or assets that are at the limit in terms of stability. These works are becoming increasingly complex and must be carried out with minimal traffic disruptions. In many countries, national guidelines have been published to assist engineers in the design and execution of geotechnical works near existing railway infrastructure. However, there are no European recommendations or standards. In order to discuss these national recommendations at the European level, this paper gives an overview of design, execution and control rules applied in France for geotechnical works on existing railway infrastructure. First, the characteristics of the French railway network are presented. Then, the main risks associated with geotechnical works close to railway traffic are identified. Finally, the implications of incorporating railway safety in the design and execution of works are highlighted.
A. Guimond-Barrett; R. English-Martin; C. Czabanski; F. Chille; T. Kaira
18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)
F - Future city world vision
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