Engineering methods for enhancing railway geometry and winter road assessment: A safety and maintenance perspective

Abstract

In many areas around the world there are limited transportation possibilities when travelling between key cities. If these areas also experience demanding weather conditions or geography, getting from A to B, during difficult conditions, is usually not optimal in regards to accessibility, safety, and comfort. Under challenging conditions, two essential elements in strengthening accessibility, safety, and comfort are: information and maintenance. Northern Norway, especially above the Arctic Circle, can be categorised within the previously described type of area, with its challenging geography and winter conditions. Transportation of people and goods to, from, and within Northern Norway is often done by road or railway. This puts pressure on the limited road and railway capacity in the region, making it important to keep them maintained and open for traffic.

In this study, challenges are identified within the areas of railway geometry and winter road assessment, and these two topics form the motivation behind the work. This thesis examines the two topics, railway geometry and winter road assessment. In railway geometry, a focus is on transition curves and how they can be improved in existing railways, to increase safety and reduce maintenance. In winter road assessment, a focus is on sensor data and the possibility to create a hybrid sensor, that can help maintenance personnel do their job more efficiently, and be used as a tool to warn other road users of dangerous conditions. The aim of the research is to evaluate possible changes or additions that can be implemented in road and railway, in order to improve accessibility, safety, and comfort, while reducing maintenance needs. Methods in the thesis include evaluation and analyses of curve properties in regards to given criteria, as well as experimentation and analyses of data from various sensors with winter road assessment in mind. The main results that contribute to the fields can be summarised as: increased experimental knowledge, increased technology knowledge, new approaches, extensive testing, extensive analyses, and identification of challenges.