Base reinforcement on the railway platform at the Buenos Aires Retiro Station

Abstract

Within the framework of the renovation of the Retiro train station located in the city of Buenos Aires, this work describes the main technical aspects of the design and implementation of the improvement of the railway yards’ base using reinforcement geosynthetics, particularly on the Mitre and San Martin lines. In replacement of traditional methods involving lime treatment, this project employed biaxial polypropylene geogrids at the formation level, allowing the achievement of the necessary support condition for the track superstructure. This took into consideration the short working windows and the environmental benefit of reusing recycled ballast, resulting in a significant reduction in the duration of the tasks. In addition to reinforcement, the inclusion of a non-woven geotextile with filtering and separation functions just below the ballast enhances surface water drainage and prevents the migration of fine soils into the gravel, maintaining its properties and improving the load-bearing capacity of the ballast.