On track for high performance urban rail An EU-funded project has developed a modular system for urban light rail, tram and metro tracks. The ambitious plan stands to provide low-cost, low-maintenance solutions for environmentally friendly and safe transport in cities. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock The ‘Urban rail infrastructure’ (Urban Track) project was established by a team of international researchers to develop innovative new track infrastructure products. Looking at the real and verifiable costs of existing networks, they also aimed to make substantial improvements in cost, quality and aesthetics. The four-year project considered prefabricated track modules and green light rail or tram tracks. Embedded tracks are recommended for metro systems as opposed to the traditional ballasted tracks that are mounted on a wooden or concrete sleeper. Tracks in a rigid slab confer the advantage of load transfer and greater stability. For tunnels, where cost of embedding is higher, low-cost tracks using floating slabs are recommended. The researchers assessed different ways to install, renew and maintain tracks using cost/benefit and life-cycle costs (LCC) analyses to determine the highest performance combined with the most economical methods. An added economy was to use maintenance free interface between rail and street pavement on tram systems for embedded tracks. The team found that there were very few existing tools to accurately assess ongoing maintenance costs for such tracks. Accordingly, they developed an LCC calculation tool to carry out both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The team used software solutions to register the history, ageing and development of tracks in a much more systematic way. Currently, individual workers hold much of the knowledge about the conditions of urban tracks and constantly updated databases will mean that valuable information does not leave at the same time as an employee. The research also recommended closer cooperation between construction and maintenance departments. This will tend to result in more efficient implementation of maintenance plans and efficient track designs. Realisation of the Urban Track plans promises to deliver high capacity, reliability, as well as a high level of comfort and safety for Europe’s urban rail services. With a focus on producing products with a greater degree of standardisation, the results of the project are applicable to markets across the world leading to future opportunities for European businesses in emerging markets.
