8/10/2019 Compare Ballasted Track and Slab Track

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JKR Railway Introductory Course (Oct 2013): Supplementary Reading

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Comparison between Ballasted track and Ballastless track

No. DESCRIPTION BALLASTED TRACK BALLASTLESS TRACK

1. MaintenanceInput.

Frequent maintenance & non-uniform degradation

Less maintenance for geometry.

2. Cost comparison Relatively low construction costsbut higher life cycle cost.

Relatively high construction cost butlower life cycle cost.

3. Elasticity. High elasticity due to ballast. Elasticity is achieved through use ofrubber pads and other artificialmaterials.

4. Riding Comfort. Good riding comfort at speeds upto 250280 kmph.

Excellent riding comforteven at speeds greaterthan 250 kmph.

5. Life expectation Poor Life expectation. (15-20 yrs) Good Life expectation.(50-60 yrs)

6. Stability. Over time, the track tends tofloat, in bothlongitudinal andlateral directions, as a result ofnon-linear, irreversible behaviour

of the materials.

No such problem.

7. Lateral resistance Limited non compensatedlateral acceleration in curves,due to the limited lateralresistance offered by the ballast.

High lateral resistance to the trackwhich allows future increase inspeeds in combination with tiltingcoach technology.

8. Noise. Relatively High noise Relatively low noise and vibrationnuisance.

9. Churning up ofBallast.

Ballast can be churned up at highspeeds, causing serious damageto rails and wheels.

No such damage to rails andwheels.

10. Construction costof Bridges&Tunnels

etc.

Ballast is relatively heavy, leadingto an increase in the costs ofbuilding bridges and viaducts if

they are to carry a continuousballasted track.

Less cost of construction of bridgesand viaducts due to lower deadweight of the ballast-less track.

11. ConstructionDepth.

Depth of Ballasted track isrelatively high, and this has directconsequences for tunneldiameters and for access points.

Reduced height. Require smallerstructure gauge.

12. Availability ofMaterial(Granite)

Limited in some countries No problem of material.

13. Permeability. Reduced permeability due tocontamination, grinding-down ofthe ballast and transfer of fineparticles from the sub grade.

High impermeability

14. Dust pollution. Release of dust from the ballastinto the environment thus causing

environmental pollution.

Less environment pollution.

15. Maintenancepossession

More possession time for routinemaintenance

Less possession time but majorrepair will take substantial time

8/10/2019 Compare Ballasted Track and Slab Track

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JKR Railway Introductory Course (Oct 2013): Supplementary Reading

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Slab track used around the World:

Project Country Track form

Shinkansen Japan Shinkansen

DuerneTheNetherlands

Embedded Rail

BestTheNetherlands

Embedded Rail

Crewe-Kidsgrove UK BBEST Embedded Rail

High Speed Line HSL-ZuidTheNetherlands

Rheda 2000

Cologne-Frankfurt High Speed Line Germany Rheda Zblin

Hibel & Prestbury Tunnels UK Rheda 2000

Nuremberg-Ingolstadt High SpeedLine Germany Rheda 2000FF-Bgl

Taipei and Kaohsiung High SpeedRail

Taiwan Rheda 2000

Eje Atlantico Spain Rheda 2000

Perpignan-Figueras Spain Rheda 2000

Guadarrama Tunnel Spain Rheda 2000

Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway China Rheda 2000

TGV Mditerrane France Sateba booted sleeper

Channel Tunnel UK/France Sonneville block

Channel Tunnel Rail Link Phase II UK Booted sleeper

Gotthard Tunnel Switzerland Booted sleeper

St. Pancras UK Resilient baseplate

Docklands Light Railway UK Resilient baseplate

Athens Attiko Metro Greece Booted sleeper

Hong Kong MRT Hong KongResilient baseplate Floating trackslab

Kuala Lumpur Star LRT Malaysia Resilient baseplate

London Underground UK Resilient baseplate

Tramway de Grenoble France Booted sleeper

Nottingham Express Transit UK Embedded Rail

Sheffield Supertram UK Embedded Rail