A Review Study on Assessing the Sustainability of Design and Maintenance of Slab Track Systems for Turkey

Year 2020, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 325 - 336, 30.06.2020

Alper Cebecı

https://doi.org/10.29137/umagd.635267

Abstract

Many companies provide different slab track products and solutions. Various
types of these are used in Japan, Europe and North America. The utilization of
slab track benefits railway operators in terms of RAMS (reliability,
availability, maintainability and safety) as well as the life cycle cost
despite its high initial cost. In Japan, the maintenance cost of slab track is
25%  of the maintenance cost of ballasted
track. In addition, recent surveys show that the construction costs of slab
track are 30% to 50% higher than the construction cost of standard ballasted
track.

Slab track companies have introduced innovations that reduces both
maintenance and life cycle costs. This type of track can provide better level
crossing for the mixed traffic zones or the emergency access. Moreover, slab
track systems have been used for reducing the tunnel height and track
construction depth as well as increasing the availability of the systems in
specific circumstances.

In case of the railway
lines, which consist of many special parts such as tunnels, viaducts and
substructures, slab track is the best option for construction. For example,
tunnel heights or bridge loads can be reduced with slab track systems.
Therefore, the utilization of slab track may create an economic advantage. The
slab track system might also be used in busy railway networks, as it offers a
good alternative due to the availability issues. In general, the embedded track
systems and the floating slab track systems are better options for the Turkish
railways.

Keywords

Slab Track, Sustainability, Turkey

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