Project overview
This programme grant followed on from the Track21 project (2011-2015) and involved addressing additional research questions with the aim of delivering improved railway infrastructure performance, as well as further research based on some of the key outputs from Track21.
As train frequencies and speeds continue to increase over time, railway track is being more intensively used, which leads, in turn, to increased maintenance requirements. Combined with the urgent need to reduce the railway system’s costs and environmental impacts, this places great pressure on railway infrastructure operators. Alongside this, it will also be necessary to mitigate the impacts of climate change on railway track systems, with coastal railways potentially particularly vulnerable in this regard.
In order to help the rail industry tackle these challenges relating to track maintenance and performance, T2F addressed three key research challenges:
- develop low maintenance and long-life track systems with optimised use of materials
- design crossings and transitions so as to optimise vehicle behaviour and consequently maximise the service life of trains
- develop an integrated approach to the design of low-noise and low-vibration track.
TRG’s contribution to the project involved the calculation of the economic and environmental impacts of such interventions. This involved working in partnership with Network Rail (with whom the University of Southampton has a Strategic Partnership), and with other T2F researchers at the universities of Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham and Huddersfield.
Work focused on life cycle cost and carbon modelling of the installation of under-sleeper pads and the use of fibre-reinforced ballast and on comparing ballasted and non-ballasted track systems.
Transportation group also developed (in partnership with the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research) a more accurate and spatially detailed socio-economic assessment of changes in noise and vibration from railway track systems using GIS to combine and process a range of datasets. A framework for a generalised socio-economic assessment methodology for track system interventions based on data ontologies was developed in conjunction with researchers at the University of Birmingham.
