Development of Solid Bed Track on Asphalt Pavement

Abstract

In general, ballasted track needs periodical track maintenance work, because ballast bed is gradually destroyed by repeated trainloads. Enormous expenditure is therefore necessary to maintain track in good conditions. In addition, it is increasingly getting difficult to obtain maintenance workforce, because Japan is quickly shifting to a society of elders, and people tend to hate tough works such as manual track maintenance work. Under these circumstances, a low-noise solid-bed track on asphalt pavement for new railway lines was developed to reduce the maintenance work. This paper describes the track structure, the results of the performance tests of this track and basic design.