Rail

Track
Technology
Pradeep Kumar Garg
Professor

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 Requirements of a Good
Transportation System
A good transportation system should be –
• Most efficient, in terms of-
• Energy consumption
• Time
• Space
• Cost effectiveness
• Convenient for users
• Safe
• Environmental friendly – less air pollution; less sound
pollution

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 Different Modes of Transport

• Roads
• Public transport – Buses, Trams
• Private vehicles
• Railways
• Mono rail systems
• Roapways
• Aeroplanes
• Ships, Boats etc.
• Pipelines, conveyors

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 Advantages of Railway System
over other modes of transport
• Railway is 5 to 6 times more energy efficient as compared to
roads
• Railway is more efficient in terms of land use
• Railway is safer as compared to roads
• It is environmental friendly – less pollution
• Railway is all weather transport system – operational round
the year, hence more dependable
• It is suitable for mass transport
• It is suitable for long haulage distances

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 History of Railway System
• Transport by Rails dates back to 15th Century – started in
Austria and England
• Initially, Stone slabs and Wooden Rails were used
• Then, Wooden Rails were covered with Iron plates to
reduce friction
• Then came Iron Rails with Flanged Wheels to reduce
the friction further and also to keep the wheels on rails
• First public Railway in 1825 was run from Stockton to
Darlington in England
• First Train in India was run in 1853 between Boribunder
and Thane
• Electrification in India came in 1925

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DEVELOPMENT OF
RAILWAYS

The First type of steel rails

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In the late 1760s, began to fix plates of
cast iron to the upper surface of the wooden
rails.
By 1776, iron had replaced the wood in the
rails and wheels on the carts.
 Indian Railways - Some Statistics
• IR is third largest track network in the world
• It employs more than 12 Lakh people
• Route Kms – 68600
• Track Kms – 132000
• Number of Stations – 7300+
• No. of Trains run every day – 13500+
• Speeds of trains – 100 kmph to 160 kmph for passenger
trains; 60 kmph to 100 kmph for goods trains

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Railway System in India
• Railway Board, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi
• Chairman & CEO
• Member Infrastructure
• Member Traction & Rolling Stock
• Member Operations & Business Development
• Member Finance
• Zonal Railways - 16 nos.
• Divisions – 68 nos.

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Railway System in India
• Different Departments in Railways and their functions
• Construction Organisation
• Production Units of IR
• RCF, MCF, ICF, RWF
• DLW, CLW. DMW
• Different PSUs under Ministry of Railways
• RITES, IRCON, RVNL, MRVC, DFCCIL,
• CONCOR, KRCL, PRCL, IRCTC, IRFC, NHSRCL, CRIS, RLDA, RCIL
• RDSO
• CTIs – NAIR, IRICEN, IRIEEN, IRIMEE, IRISET, IRITM, IRIFM
• Commissioner of Railway safety

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 Important Terminology used in
Railways
• Mixed traffic corridors; Dedicated Freight corridors; High speed
corridors
• Axle Load
• Annual GMT
• Yards – loop lines, stabling lines, inspection lines
• Coaching stock, freight stock, locomotive
• Maintenance sheds for rolling stock
• Diesel loco shed
• Electric loco shed
• C&W workshop
• Pit lines
• Suburban network
• Private sidings

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 Important Terminology used in
Railways
• Port connectivity
• Lines of strategic importance
• Station limit
• Block section
• Line clear
• Shunting movements
• Passenger facilities at stations

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ROLE OF CIVIL Engineers ON
IR
• TRACK
• BRIDGES & TUNNELS
• LEVEL XING/ROB/RUB
• BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES
• RAILWAY COLONIES
• WATER SUPPLY and SANITATION
• ROADS & Other Civic infrastructure
• LAND & AMENITIES
• New Lines, Doubling and Gauge Conversion Projects

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 Track
• Also known as Permanent Way
• Safety of moving Trains is paramount
• Passenger comfort is equally important
• Track is costliest asset on a railway system
• Different Gauges are in existence on IR – Broad
Gauge, Meter gauge, Narrow gauge
• Ballasted and ballastless tracks
• Track structure on bridges differ as per type of
bridge
• Additional tracks are provided on stations for
stabling of trains and for giving precedence to high
speed trains

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 GAUGES ON WORLD RAILWAYS
TYPE OF GAUGE GAUGE %OF NAMES OF COUNTRIES
IN mm TOTAL
LENGTH
BROAD GAUGE 1676 6 INDIA, PAKISTAN, SRI
(5’6’’) LANKA, BRAZIL
BROAD GAUGE (5’) 1524 9 RUSSIA, FINLAND
STANDARD 1435 62 ENGLAND,USA, CANADA,
GAUGE (4’8.5’’) TURKEY, PERSIA & CHINA
CAPE GAUGE 1067 8 AFRICA, AUSTRALIA,
(3’6’’) NEWZEALAND, JAPAN
METRE GAUGE 1000 9 INDIA, SWITZERLAND,
(3’3.5’’) ARGENTINA, FRANCE
VARIOUS OTHER VARIOUS 6 INDIA-NARROW GAUGE
GAUGES GAUGES (762mm & 610mm)-(2’6’’& 2’)

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 TRACKS ON INDIAN RAILWAYS (As on 31/03/22)
GAUGE ROUTE TOTAL
KM TKM
BROAD GAUGE (1676 mm) 65593

METRE GAUGE (1000mm) 1655

NARROW GAUGE (762mm 1294

and 610mm)
TOTAL 68542 132500

Route KM indicates length of route from one point to another point.

Total track KM include length of non-Running lines & yards etc.

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 Why Uni-gauge is desired
• Problems associated with multiple gauges –
• Separate fleet of rolling stock is needed
• Separate infrastructure terminus needed
• Change of platform involved for passengers
• Trans-shipment of goods is necessary at change
point
• Maintenance standards are different
• Inefficient use of fixed infrastructure and rolling
stock
• Indian Railways has adopted unigauge policy

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 Classification of BG Routes

• Group A – Speeds upto 160 kmph

• Group B – Speeds upto 130 kmph
• Group C – Suburban sections of Mumbai, Delhi,
Chennai & Kolkata
• Group D – Speeds upto 110 kmph

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Steel Wheel moving on Steel
Rail

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Sinusoidal Motion of Wheelset

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Steering of Wheel on Rail

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 Why we do not have flat wheels?

• Lateral sway will be frequent with flat wheels

• Will result in more wear of flange of wheel and sides of
gauge face of rails
• Traversing on a curved track will be difficult due to rigid
wheel base and uniform diameter

• CONING of WHEELS helps in avoiding these conditions

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 Advantages of Coning of Wheels

• Coning of wheels results in smooth riding on curves to

facilitate larger distance coverage on outer rail as compared
to inner rail
• It helps to keep the vehicle (wheels) centrally on a straight
track, thus avoiding rubbing of wheel flanges on gauge face
of rails
• It reduces wear and tear of wheel flanges
• It helps in prevention of slipping of wheel

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Steering of Wheelset on
Curved Track

https://youtu.be/fhrS74gOYsM

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 Disadvantages of Coning of Wheels
• The pressure of the horizontal component of the force near
the inner edges of the rail has a tendency to wear out the
rail quickly
• The horizontal component of the force tends to turn the rail
outwards and hence, gauge is sometimes widened
• The sleepers under the outer edge of the rail may get
damaged
• TO MINIMIZE THE ABOVE EFFECTS, CANTING OF RAILS IS
DONE.

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 Canting of Rails

• The rails are not fixed on the sleepers flat on their base but
at an inward tilt of 1 in 20. This is known as Canting of Rails.
• Tilting of rails is achieved by –
• Edging of sleepers (as in wooden sleepers)
• Use of canted bearing plates
• Use of canted sleepers (as in PSC sleepers)

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 Track Parameters
1. Gauge
2. Unevenness
3. Alignment
4. Cross Level

• Twist – derived from cross level at

two locations of track

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 Gauge

• Gauge is the minimum distance between running faces of rails.

Gauge cum Level

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Gauge Cum Level

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Unevenness & Alignment

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 Nomenclature of Movements
Sl. Nomenclatur
Movement Caused by
no e
Translational along X Loose shunting, play in
A) Shuttling
axis coupling
Alignment defect
Translational along Y
B) Lurching including gauge
axis
variations.
Translatonal along Z
C) Bouncing Unevenness of rail top
axis
Rotational about X Cross level/
D) Rolling
axis unevenness
Rotational about Y
E) Pitching Unevenness
axis

F) Hunting- Combined Effect of Rolling and Nosing

Rotational about Z
Nosing Alignment defect
axis
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Level Crossing

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Road Over Bridge (ROB)

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Road Under Bridge (RUB)

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COMPONENTS OF TRACK

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 TRACK

Rails
Rubber pad
Sleepers
Ballast
Function Formation
•Support & guide vehicles running on it 41
 Requirement of Good Permanent
Way
• Good P. Way should have the following properties:
• Uniform Gauge
• Correct cross level (zero for straight track)
• No misalignment
• Elasticity and resiliency (to take the impact and vibrations
effectively)
• Good Drainage
• Lateral stability
• Easy replacement of its components
• Unyielding and stable formation
• Minimum cost of maintenance

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Stress Distribution

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Rail Track with OHE

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Thanks