Rejuvenating NZs Rail Bridge Assets
Since 2004 KiwiRail has significantly increased the rate of bridge renewals and refurbishments throughout the New Zealand rail network. This has primarily been driven by an aging asset and that […]
WHAT IS CRITICAL SPEED? A REVIEW OF THE USE OF STANDARDS FOR ASSESSMENT OF HUNTING STABILITY IN SIMULATION
This paper provides a review of standards-based simulation approaches to assessing the ability of a given railway vehicle-track combination to resist sustained lateral dynamic oscillations known as hunting. First, an […]
THE ROLE OF BOND-LINE DEFECTS IN VARIABLE SLOW BEND TESTS FOR RAIL FLASHBUTT WELDS
Flashbutt weld strength is evaluated by slow bend testing of full-size welds. To experimentally investigate the effect of cratering on slow bend test behaviour, trials were performed with artificial craters […]
RELIABLE TURNOUTS FOR HIGHEST AXE LOADS
This paper deals with the design and structural strength of heavy haul turnouts for reliable and safe operations of heavy haul trains. A two step method was chosen to achieve […]
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRACK AND TUNNEL CENTRELINES
This paper presents an approach to determining the optimal positioning of the rail track alignment within a tunnel for an underground rail transit system. One of the main challenges with […]
RANKING OF ENDPOST MATERIALS OF INSULATED RAIL JOINTS FOR CYCLIC WHEEL LOADING
Insulated rail joints (IRJs) are important for railway operations and controls. Endposts are used in IRJs to create electrical signal blocks to locate trains and broken rails. They are inserted […]
RAILWAY BRIDGE TRANSITION ZONE DESIGN DETAILS – A REVIEW OF CURRENT PRACTICE
Railway track generally exhibits a significant change in track stiffness where the track transitions from embankment to bridge. Unless adequately designed, the change in stiffness within this transition zone can […]
NEW TRACK AND UPGRADED TRACK FOR RAIL SECTOR GROWTH – THE PAST AND NEXT 25 YEARS
The paper will outline new track and track upgrades in Australia and New Zealand that have accompanied rail sector growth over the past 25 years. This growth includes a 266 […]
EVALUATION OF THE STRESS LEVELS IN PLASTIC COMPOSITE SLEEPERS
The interest in using plastic and composite sleepers has increased recently in Australia primarily due to their credentials in environmental sustainability, especially the potential to use large volumes of recycled […]
DUAL-GAUGE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: THE INTEGRATION OF 1435MM AND 1600MM GAUGES
The limited clearance of 165 mm between the centrelines of Standard-Gauge and Broad-Gauge track has been a challenge to designers of Victorian and South Australian Dual-Gauge crossing-work for over half […]
DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF PORR PRECAST CONCRETE TRACK PANELS FOR MELBOURNE’S METRO TUNNEL PROJECT
This Paper describes the investigation of options, selection and design of the slab track system to suit Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project (MMTP) track alignment constraints whilst addressing the significant ground […]
CLUSTERING-BASED CLASSIFICATION OF UNBALANCED FREIGHT TRAFFIC LOADS BASED ON WAYSIDE MONITORING
The rail sector has been playing an increasingly important role in society, with safe operation and maintenance costs being important aspects for railway managers and operators. The presence of unbalanced […]
ALIGNING TRACK GEOMETRY REQUIREMENTS FOR ROLLING STOCK QUALIFICATION AND TRACK MANAGEMENT
Qualification of a rolling stock design involves a number of tests that ensure safe and acceptable performance under a range of conditions. However, the test conditions prescribed in the standards […]
ADAPTING ALUMINOTHERMIC WELDING TO RESTRICTED TRACK ACCESS IN SUBURBAN NETWORKS – A QUEENSLAND RAIL EXPERIENCE
Although aluminothermic welding (ATW) is a well-established process for joining rail throughout the railway industry and the world, there is always room for development to better suit them for specific […]
BASIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND RATCHETING BEHAVIOUR OF FLASH BUTT WELDS IN HIGH STRENGTH STEEL RAILS
An experimental study consisting of both uniaxial and biaxial stress cycling tests, has been performed on flash butt welds in a heat-treated hypereutectoid steel rail, which is currently used in […]
THERMAL MODELLING TO OPTIMISE THE VERTICAL ALIGNMENT OF ALUMINOTHERMIC WELDS
The vertical alignment of aluminothermic (AT welds) is a critical parameter, as localised dips at the weld will lead to high impact loads and localised track damage. The final alignment […]
ROLLING STOCK AND TWIST TEST INPUTS
New rolling stock has to be designed and tested to ensure that its vertical wheel loads do not unload by more than 60% of its static wheel loads when subjected […]
USING TRACK-BASED FIBRE BRAGG GRATING SENSOR MONITORING TO IMPROVE TRACK MAINTENANCE AND ROLLING STOCK DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR
Alternative method of wayside monitoring system using optical strain sensors has been trialled in this paper. Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors provide advantages such as ease of instrumentation, better signal […]
USE OF DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS TO ADDRESS GAPS IN CURRENT APPROACH TO MITIGATE GEOMETRY BASED RISK
Deviation of track geometry from its design state can have significant effects on not only the deterioration of the track structure but also the derailment risk of rollingstock. To ensure […]
TRACK SUPPORT FLOATING SOIL BEAM ON HELICAL PILES – CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY BALA SUBDIVISION
Canadian National Railway (CN) completed a 2nd track construction over deep muskeg along an existing mainline on the Bala Subdivision between Mile 29.2 and 29.5 in 2017. The site contains […]
FROM FRICTION MEASUREMENT TO TRACK DAMAGE INDEXES IN HIGH ADHESION LOCOMOTIVE STUDIES
High adhesion locomotives transmit high creep forces to track infrastructure during heavy haul or freight train operations under traction and braking. The influence of these complex phenomena has not been […]
MITIGATION OF DERAILMENT RISKS AT SWITCHES THROUGH APPROPRIATE DESIGN OF WEAR GAUGES
To mitigate the risk of derailment in turnouts, switch wear gauges are often used in conjunction with appropriate switch inspection and monitoring processes. The design of appropriate switch wear gauges […]
USING AUGMENTED REALITY TO ASSIST TRACK INSPECTORS FOR TURNOUT INSPECTIONS
Routine inspection of turnouts (switches) is one of the most important maintenance activities for rail network operators to ensure safe passage for trains running through a switch rail. Commonly, hand-held […]
IMPLEMENTING NEW RAIL PROFILES USING DIGITAL DATA ON THE CENTRAL QUEENSLAND COAL NETWORK
The Aurizon Central Queensland Coal Network (CQCN) is a heavy haul railway primarily providing coal transport services from several users from the Bowen Basin to several ports in Central Queensland. […]
MAINLINE TRACK UPGRADES: AUCKLAND – WELLINGTON AND SYDNEY – MELBOURNE
Auckland and Wellington are linked by the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) narrow gauge railway of length 681km. Sydney and Melbourne are now linked by a standard gauge railway of […]
INERTIAL STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT FOR TRACK MAINTENANCE
Methods of using inertial measurements for track geometry variation, either directly or in setting standards, have been reviewed by the authors. It was found that the normal approach is still […]
AUTOMATING A $70M/YEAR TRACK RENEWALS PROGRAM
Significant capital-intensive renewal programs increasingly require robust systems with high-levels of data integrity. As part of its continuous focus on supply chain improvement and efficiency, and the theme of doing […]
Rolling Stock and Track Geometry Influences on Derailment Risk due to Longitudinal Forces
The geometry of a wagon and the other rolling stock to which it is coupled affects the angles developed by the couplers as the train negotiates various geometrical features in […]
Predicting the effectiveness of rail dampers on noise emissions – the first Australian trial
Rail dampers are a rolling noise mitigation measure developed in Europe. The first field trials of this track component have previously been undertaken in Australia (Sydney). There, rail dampers have […]
PLANNING BALLAST AND FORMATION TREATMENTS WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR DATA INTEGRATED WITH 3D TERRAIN MODELS
This paper describes a new 3d model which combines ground penetrating radar (GPR) data with point cloud terrain information. This 3d model can reveal interactions between the condition of track […]
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF STABILISATION GEOGRIDS TO EXTEND TRACK MAINTENANCE INTERVALS AND REDUCE COSTS
Geogrids have been incorporated in comparative testing in rail track-bed applications for many years and have shown a consistent ability to improve the settlement performance, and hence the potential to […]
ADVANCED FRICTION MEASUREMENTS AND THEIR APPLICATION FOR LOCOMOTIVE TRACTION – TRACK DAMAGE STUDIES
Modelling and validation of locomotive dynamic behaviour involve very complex multi-disciplinary engineering problems which require coverage of all uncertainties and non-linearities presented in the system. Key nonlinearities in this complex […]
SIMULATION OF TRACK-LOCOMOTIVE INTERACTIONS
This paper introduces a new method to study track dynamics and locomotive dynamics as well as track-locomotive interactions. The method uses a two-way co-simulation technique to link a detailed track […]
Material characteristics of laser-cladded hypereutectoid rail steels
The impact of preheating conditions and carbon dilution on the microstructural and mechanical properties of laser cladded rails at various number of deposition layers has been investigated for a hypereutectoid […]
Using big data to reduce rail wear and energy consumption through cant optimization
Future rail renewal costs have been significantly reduced for Aurizon’s 2700km, narrow gauge Central Queensland Coal Network (CQCN) through the use of big data from real-world train performance to optimize […]
Modelling and managing track stability on challenging alignments with high-frequency heavy haul traffic
At a mountainous location in central Queensland, rail has been observed as heating well beyond the normally expected range of rail temperatures. While there has been substantial research into the […]
ADVANCES IN NOISE AND VIBRATION ASSESSMENTS FOR ELEVATED RAIL DESIGNS
Elevated rail designs are emerging as a popular solution for level crossing removals, and in dense urban areas across Australia. Rail on embankments and viaducts require a different approach towards […]
LEVERAGING VIRTUAL REALITY AND VISUALISATION TOOLS IN THE RAIL SECTOR
Could engineering ever be as simple as playing a game? Build twice, construct once – this theme perfectly captures the philosophy around the adoption of visual tools in the rail […]
KIWIRAIL CIVIL ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS: Keeping the Focus on Rail Civil Assets
This paper details the journey undertaken by KiwiRail compiling and updating its Principles and Standards for rail civil infrastructure. It describes the requirements for such documents and the process followed […]
Wheel and rail roughness estimation based on rail vibration measurement
The surface roughness of interacting wheels and rails, which is the major contributor to the generation of railway rolling noise, has been investigated by considering the separate roughness components of […]
EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION THROUGH MODERN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Australian rail infrastructure is at the forefront of government spending and private investment at present. As the number of major projects increases, the need for innovative solutions to track design […]
ALUMINOTHERMIC WELDING: THE CURRENT STATE OF PRACTICE, PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT A CENTURY ON
Aluminothermic welding (ATW), with a history of more than a century, is the oldest rail welding technology which is still widely used even in modern railway systems. Despite considerable improvements […]
ADVANCEMENT IN TRACK TECHNOLOGY – COMPOSITE FOUNDATIONS FOR INCREASED SPEED AND AXLE LOADS
The increasing demand for fast heavy haul services with greater axle loads, as well as high speed commuter trains, poses a serious challenge for the stability of tracks on the […]
DEVELOPMENT OF A NON-CONTACT LASER SPECKLE IMAGING SYSTEM FOR STRAIN MEASUREMENTS IN RAILS
This paper demonstrated the technical feasibility of non-contact optical sensor for strain measurements which benefits the railway industry in delivering a low-cost, high-resolution and real-time monitoring of structural health of […]
EVALUATION OF PRIMARY SUSPENSION BENEFITS FOR HEAVY HAUL WAGONS
The classical design of the three-piece bogie for heavy haul wagons does not have a primary suspension and has proved its concept by its performance during operational service. It has […]
TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS IN FLASH BUTT WELDING
Stationary plants as well as mobile machines are used for flash butt welding. Historically, stationary plants were set up to support construction of a railway and were subsequently used for […]
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF HIGH-STRENGTH GROOVED RAIL STEELS
New trains with improved accessibility, higher train frequencies and the higher transport capacity go hand-inhand with increased track guiding forces, acceleration and breaking forces and thereby the total load applied […]
FLASHBUTT WELDING SPECIFICATION ISSUES FOR GENERAL FREIGHT AND TRANSIT SYSTEMS
Various issues can arise in the qualification and ongoing production of flashbutt welds for fabrication of long welded rail, sometimes as a result of ambiguities in the governing standard in […]
MELBOURNE’S 50 NEW GRADE SEPARATIONS – DESIGNING THE NEW STATIONS FOR THE FIRST FOUR GRADE SEPARATIONS: BURKE, NORTH, CENTRE, AND MCKINNON ROAD
This paper describes the design of four new stations in Melbourne’s metropolitan railway network. All four stations are to be rebuilt in order to allow for the removal of busy […]
USE OF DETAILED ULTRASONICS DATA TO MONITOR ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE AND SQUATS IN RAIL
The rails of most mainline tracks are tested periodically by ultrasound cars, principally to find internal rail defects. This paper describes use of the full data logged by such cars, […]