Mainline Railway Research Articles

DETECTION PROCESS OF ENERGY LOSS IN ELECTRIC RAILWAY VEHICLES

The paper deals with the detection process of energy loss in electric railway hauling vehicles. The importance of efficient energy use in railways and cost-effective rail transport tendency toward regenerative braking energy are considered. In addition, the current situation and improvement opportunities to achieve efficient energy use are examined. Seven measurement series were performed with scheduled Railjet trains between Hegyeshalom and Győr railway stations in Hungary. This railway section is related to the Hungarian State Railways' No. 1 main railway line (between Budapest-Kelenföld and Hegyeshalom state board), which is a part of the international railway line between Budapest and Vienna (capitals of Hungary and Austria, respectively). This double-track, electrified railway line with traditional ballasted superstructures and continuously welded rail tracks is important due to the international passenger and freight transport between Germany, Austria, and Hungary. The value of the regenerative braking energy can be even 20-30% of the total consumed energy. This quite enormous untapped energy can be used for several aims, e.g., for comfort energy demand (air conditioning, heating-cooling, lighting, etc.) or energy-intensive starts. The article also investigates the optimization of regenerative braking energy by seeking the energy-waste locations and the reasons for the significant consumption. The train operator's driving style and habit have been identified as one of the main reasons. Furthermore, train driver assistance systems are recommended to save energy, which is planned for future research.

GERALD: A novel dataset for the detection of German mainline railway signals

In recent years, a strong push towards driverless mobility solutions can be seen in many transportation sectors including railways. While the European Train Control System already specifies the necessary interfaces to open up the possibility of Automatic Train Operation (ATO) for mainline railway vehicles, required infrastructure-side upgrades of interlocking systems are time- and cost-intensive. Alternatively, a pure vehicle-side Automatic Train Operation solution can be conceptualized that relies on processing the same audio-visual input a human train driver would normally base his decisions on. This would require the vehicle-side detection of track-side railway signals to determine the vehicle’s movement authority and allowed maximum speed. Such a signal detection system could furthermore be employed as an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) or support autonomous shunting operations. To enable such a system, this paper presents GERALD, a novel dataset for a neural network based detection approach of railway signals. The dataset contains 5000 images from a wide variety of railway scenes as well as annotations for the most common types of German mainline railway signals. The material was gathered using publicly available cab-view recordings uploaded by railway enthusiasts on YouTube. Using a state of the art neural network architecture for evaluation, we notice promising detection accuracies despite GERALD being a comparably small dataset. The dataset is freely available for research and non-commercial purposes at: https://github.com/ifs-rwth-aachen/GERALD

Modeling Power Flows and Electromagnetic Fields Induced by Compact Overhead Lines Feeding Traction Substations of Mainline Railroads

The ongoing re-equipment of electric power systems is based on the use of smart grid technologies. Among the key tasks that are solved on this basis are increasing the capacity of power transmission lines, reducing losses, and improving power quality. To address these issues, one can use compact power transmission lines. Such lines are notable for their complex split-phase designs and close together placement of current-conducting parts, so as to keep the distance to a permissible minimum, which is achieved by the use of insulating spacers. This article reports the results of computer-aided simulations performed for a standard railroad power supply system, the traction substations of which were connected to 220 kV networks through compact overhead lines (COHLs). The purpose of the study was to calculate the values of quantitative metrics that measure power quality and energy efficiency as well as electromagnetic safety. Modeling was performed in the three-phase reference frame with the use of techniques and algorithms implemented in the Fazonord software package. We considered a power supply system with 25 kV overhead contact systems. It was assumed that the external network used three different designs of COHLs: with coaxial, linear, and sector-shaped arrangements of conductors. Based on the results obtained, we concluded that (1) when using COHLs, the voltages on bow collectors of electric rolling stock were stabilized and did not exceed permissible limits; (2) losses in the traction network were reduced; and (3) the parameters of power quality and electromagnetic safety conditions in external power supply systems of railroads were improved, if judged in terms of electric and magnetic field strengths. Out of the eight types of COHLs considered, compact lines with the three-segment and concentric arrangement of conductors had the best performance, and the use of COHLs with the vertical arrangement of conductors made it possible to reduce electric field strengths. However, the designs of such transmission lines are quite complex and entail higher construction costs.

Slip of wheels on rails: The root cause for rail undulant wear

In this paper, a comprehensive field investigation was carried out into rail corrugations of China’s metro lines and railway main-lines. The occurrence rate of rail corrugation, which is defined as the accumulated length of corrugated rails divided by the total length of the investigated line, is about 11.94% for metro lines, or 2.73% for railway main-lines. In terms of the viewpoint of the friction-induced vibration inducing rail corrugation, the authors analyzed the reason to cause the difference in the occurrence rate of rail corrugation between the metro lines and railway main-lines. The slip of wheels on rails is proposed as the root cause for rail corrugation. Without the wheel/rail slip, no corrugation occurs. Model predictions of rail corrugation were performed on the sharply curved tracks, mildly curved tracks and tangential tracks. Prediction results validated the conclusion. Finally, a fast prediction method for rail corrugation was proposed.

Roadmap development for the deployment of virtual coupling in railway signalling

Developments in the railway industry are continuously evolving and long-term transition strategies can enable an efficient implementation of signalling technologies that provide a significant increase in network capacity and operation efficiency. Virtual Coupling (VC) advances moving block signalling by further reducing train separation to less than an absolute braking distance using train-to-train communication and cooperative train control within a Virtually-Coupled Train Set (VCTS). This paper proposes a method to develop scenario-based roadmaps based on a SWOT and hybrid Delphi-AHP multi-criteria analysis. Step-changes are identified and initially assessed in a Swimlane based on priorities and time order collected from stakeholders through a survey and further developed in a workshop. Optimistic and pessimistic scenarios are assessed regarding various factors and timelines. Step-changes are initially defined in a Swimlane and then enriched with optimistic and pessimistic scenarios to ultimately derive scenario-based roadmaps. Durations for each of the step-changes are developed into scenario-based roadmaps that can be used as an efficient tool for stakeholders to identify and solve potential criticalities/risks to the deployment of VC as well as to setup investment and development plans. The approach is applied to deliver implementation roadmaps of VC for different market segments with particular focus on mainline railways.

Study on Planning Layout and Spatial Form of the Third-Line Construction in North Sichuan— Taking Four Cities in Northern Sichuan as Examples

From 1964 to 1983, as a large-scale construction activity of national defense, science and technology, industry and transportation infrastructure with the goal of war readiness, was rapidly launched in the hinterland of China, the development and evolution of the Third-line Construction (“Third-line construction” refers to a large-scale national defense, science and technology, industrial and transportation infrastructure construction activity guided by war preparedness carried out in 13 provinces and autonomous regions in the central and western regions of China from 1964 to 1983, and its development and evolution promoted the development and rise of modern industry in Sichuan, and profoundly affected the formation and evolution of urban pattern and urbanization process in Sichuan.) promoted the development and rise of modern industry in Sichuan, and profoundly affected the formation and evolution of urban pattern and urbanization process in Sichuan. Under the unified planning and deployment of the central government, most of the Third-line Construction projects in Sichuan were distributed along the main railway lines and rivers, and an industrial agglomeration belt with Guangyuan, Jiangyou, Mianyang and Deyang as the main nodes was gradually formed in the north of Sichuan. By analyzing the characteristics of Third-line Construction planning layout and the spatial form composition of the remaining factories in the north of Sichuan, the paper tries to explore the influencing factors of the layout of Third-line industrial plants in the north of Sichuan. In addition, a large number of Third-line industrial remains are used inefficiently or even abandoned, and the value of the precious Third-line industrial remains is at risk of loss and vanishing. How to better excavate, protect and inherit the value of Third-line industrial remains is the key concern of the study of Third-line Construction. This paper introduces the relevant theoretical methods of urban morphology, and summarizes and analyzes the distribution, composition and characteristics of the building communities in the factory area by combing the spatial organization form and functional structure of the industrial relics of the third-line construction in the four cities in northern Sichuan. On the basis of the current situation of a large number of third-line construction remains, the composition and evolution of the factory space were discussed, and the influencing factors and their impact on the later urban planning and social and economic development were explored, so as to enrich the research on the planning layout and protection and utilization of the third-line construction industrial remains.

Identification of economic risks of investment projects of mainline railway transport infrastructure construction

Study of the issues of identification, analysis, and comparative assessment of the risks of violations of the safety of the main railway transport infrastructure. The aim of the study: is to develop a methodology for the identification of economic risks of investment projects of construction of mainline infrastructure of railway transport. The object of the study: railway transport enterprises involved in all stages of the life cycle of the mainline infrastructure of railroad transport. The subject of the study: tools and procedures for the identification of economic risks of violations of the security of trunk railway transport infrastructure. In the turbulent global economy, the effectiveness of project management is based on the perception of the human factor as the main in the formation of aggregate uncertainty. Large infrastructure companies should pay special attention to the identification, analysis, and assessment of project risks. One of the key figures in Russia's transport communication, influencing not only domestic traffic flows, but also international logistics chains, is JSC "Russian Railways". Disruptions of the transportation process due to the realization of risks at the main infrastructure facilities of JSC "Russian Railways" predetermine economic consequences both for consumers of services, operators, and infrastructure owners.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE NEED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A SPECIALIZED WAGON FOR TRANSPORTATION OF IRON ORE PELLETS

The type and characteristics of such cargo as iron ore pellets are described. The manufacturing technique of iron ore pellets at the mining processing plant is given. The process of transporting iron ore pellets along the main tracks of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" to the consumers of these products was considered using the example of PJSC "Poltava Mining and Processing Plant". It has been established that iron ore pellets are transported on the main railway tracks by one of the following types of freight wagons: universal gondola cars with a hollow-bottom body or discharge doors, specialized hopper wagons for the transportation of pellets and agglomerate and mainline dump cars. A comparative analysis of the efficiency of the use of the specified types of freight wagons was carried out according to such technical and economic indicators (criteria) as tare weight, carrying capacity, car body volume, material intensity, specific volume, dimensions, service life time, overhaul life, tare loading coefficient, coefficient body capacity utilization, running load, cost, life cycle cost. It was determined that the most rational option for the transportation of iron ore pellets is the use of a universal gondola car. Further research should be directed to the development of a standard-sized series of specialized freight wagons with increased linear load and improved technical and economic indicators for the transportation of iron ore pellets based on a universal gondola car. The content of the article will contribute to the rational choice of freight rolling stock for the transportation of such kinds of cargo as iron ore pellets on mainline railways.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE STRENGTH OF A LONG BASE FLAT WAGONS BY CARRYING OUT ENDURANCE CYCLIC FATIGUE TESTS

The need for experimental validation of structural solutions concerning the frame of long-base flat wagon and assessment of the accuracy of theoretical calculations by carrying out resource cyclic fatigue tests based on the results of the recent studies analysis in the research of the strength of long-base flat wagons, was established. The methodology for carrying out resource cyclic fatigue tests of a long-base flat wagon is presented. The results of theoretical studies on determining the strength of a long-base flat wagon are described. The results of experimental studies of endurance cyclic fatigue tests of the frame of a long-wheelbase flat wagon before and after structural improvement are shown. Structural changes and improvements of the frame of the long-base flat wagon at the stage of experimental endurance cyclic fatigue tests are presented. The place of initiation and development of a crack in the structure of the frame of a long-base flat wagon is shown. Based on the results of the research, the actual strength of the elements of the wagon structure was determined and the design of the long-base flat wagon was chosen in order to prevent fatigue failure and ensure the required operational safety. The need to improve the evaluation methods of fatigue strength of welded joints of the long-wheelbase flat wagons frames at the design stage has been proven. The content of the article will contribute to the construction of new models of long-base flat wagons for mainline railway and the modernization of existing models, as well as to increase their strength and service life while in operation.

At the BAM We Had Everything! Consumption Good Supplies for Workers of the All-Union Komsomol Сonstruction Project

The paper analyzes trade and supply services for the Baikal-Amur Mainline Railway (BAM) builders during the years 1974-1989. It describes the distribution system of goods, the forms of consumer behavior as well as consumption practices among participants of the project. The sources used for this study include office documents and statistics of the Soviet Ministry for Transport Construction, of building companies and municipalities, as well as of party and public organizations, next to oral testimonies given by former BAM construction workers that the author recorded during fieldwork. The author analyzes the establishment of trade enterprises and their technical equipment. Important is that the BAM trade network was created in a short time, and was meant to be temporary. During the whole period the system was plagued by a shortage of retail and warehouse facilities, and by insufficient support. At the same time, a special supply regime was in place to attract labor to BAM, and also to contribute to the subsistence of the population in the new development areas. While personal testimonies described trade services exclusively as privileged, the documentary evidence shows that the supply system faced difficulties similar to problems in ordinary Soviet trade. As a privilege regime came in combination with systemic malfunctions in the trade industry, specific practices were developed for the distribution and consumption of goods. Many of these practices were continued by local residents in the post-Soviet period.

Influence of the Condition of the Railway Superstructure on Traffic Noise on the Regional Line

Abstract Most of the railway lines in Slovakia were built in the second half of the 19th century, or until 1918 (the establishment of Czechoslovakia). Except for the post-World War II period, when approximately 71 % of the Slovak lines had to be renewed, limited funds have been spent on repair and reconstruction works on the lines located in the Slovak territory [1]. Nowadays, there is an effort to modernize the main railway lines but also to revamp the local lines. This is also a case of the line section Poltár - Utekáč, where in the near future a sleeper, which is in very poor technical condition, will be replaced by a Y-type sleeper. On this occasion, the impact of the new structure on the noise emission from the sleeper should also be assessed.

Assessment of architectures for Automatic Train Operation driving functions

Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is well-known in urban railways and gets increasing interest from mainline railways at present to improve capacity and punctuality. A main function of ATO is the train trajectory generation that specifies the speed profile over the given running route considering the timetable and the characteristics of the train and infrastructure. This paper proposes and assesses different possible ATO architecture configurations through allocating the intelligent components on the trackside or onboard. The set of analyzed ATO architecture configurations is based on state-of-the-art architectures proposed in the literature for the related Connected Driver Advisory System (C-DAS). Results of the SWOT analysis highlight that different ATO configurations have diverse advantages or limitations, depending on the type of railway governance and the technological development of the existing railway signaling and communication equipment. In addition, we also use the results to spotlight operational, technological, and business advantages/limitations of the proposed ATO-over-ETCS architecture that is being developed by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and provide a scientific argumentation for it.

A Combined Simulation-Optimization Approach for Robust Timetabling on Main Railway Lines

Performance aspects such as travel time, punctuality, and robustness are conflicting goals of utmost importance for railway transports. To successfully plan railway traffic, it is therefore important to strike a balance between planned travel times and expected delays. In railway operations research, a lot of attention has been given to construct models and methods to generate robust timetables—that is, timetables with the potential to withstand design errors, incorrect data, and minor everyday disturbances. Despite this, the current state of practice in railway planning is to construct timetables manually, possibly with support of microsimulation for robustness evaluation. This paper aims to narrow the gap between the state-of-the-art optimization-based research approaches and the current state of practice to construct timetables by combining simulation and optimization. The paper proposes a combined simulation-optimization approach for double-track lines, which generalizes previous work to allow full flexibility in the order of trains by including a new and more generic model to predict delays. By utilizing delay data from simulation, the approach can make socioeconomically optimal modifications of a given timetable by minimizing predicted disutility—the weighted sum of scheduled travel time and total predicted delay. In a large simulation experiment on the heavily congested Swedish Western Main Line, it is demonstrated that compared with a real-life, manually constructed timetable, large reductions of delays as well as improvements in punctuality could be obtained for a small cost of marginally longer travel times. The cost of scheduled in-vehicle travel time and mean delay was reduced by 5% on average, representing a large improvement for a highly utilized railway line. Furthermore, a separate scaling experiment indicates that the approach can also be suitable for larger problems. Funding: This research was funded by Trafikverket [Grants TRV 2016/5090 and TRV 2020/72690].

Turkmenistan in Eurasian railway geopolitics

ABSTRACT Central Asian railways are usually discussed in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, and most studies deal with the main railway line at the heart of this grandiose China-backed project. Turkmenistan represents a somewhat extraordinary example due to the state’s massive investments in railways, which have almost doubled the length of the country’s rail network in recent decades. The building of the new railways was aimed at linking Turkmen regions together with direct internal connections instead of relying on complicated cross-border passages. It was also intended to make Turkmenistan a transport hub of the Eurasian transport system. Based on the landlocked countries concept and using the analysis of available statistics and transport flows along the two main rail corridors passing through Turkmenistan (east–west and north–south), the paper investigates the gap between these ambitious goals and the actual results, including the reasons for these processes. The emergence of strong competition in the form of other (more efficient) routes has signified a setback for the expansion of Turkmenistan’s railway network.

Evaluation of the Useful and Residual Life of a Class of Relay-Based Centralised Traffic Control

Currently in Bulgaria, the main railway lines (corridors) are being modernised to increase train speed up to 160/200 km/h, which necessitates adoption of modern European traffic control systems (ERTMS/ETCS, classified as so-called class A systems). The remaining sections continue to operate mainly relay-based systems for ensuring safety of train traffic (the so-called class B systems). These systems include, first, station centralised traffic control systems, most of which are currently route relay-based ones. On the railways of Bulgaria, two classes of route relay-based centralised traffic control systems (RRCTCS) are operated, using respectively, the relays of so called «first class of reliability», and the relays of the so called «not first class of reliability». The inevitable increase in the age of RRCTCSs makes it necessary to assess their technical condition and technical suitability to clarify strategies for their further operation. Such an assessment is difficult due to the lack, first, of statistical data on the failures and reliability parameters during operation as per types of systems and their constituent elements and, second, of manufacturers’ recommendations on the service life of RRCTCS. The service life and residual service life, as well as the useful and residual life of RRCTCSs could, in the author’s opinion, be assessed according to the following criteria: • Electrical and mechanical useful life/wear of the components. • Reliability parameters of the relay components. • Electrical and mechanical useful life or the condition of the external and internal cabling. • Operating costs required to maintain RRCTCS within the range of predefined technical parameters. The article analyses and evaluates the average useful life and the average residual life of RRCTCS based on the first two criteria. It is concluded that neither electrical nor mechanical wear resistance of components is among leading characteristics for assessing useful and residual life. Two approaches are used to consider some of reliability parameters of the relay components: deterministic and probabilistic one, which are based on the «intensity of dangerous failures» characteristic of the relay of the first reliability class. Based on that characteristic, the probability of a dangerous failure of the first-class relays in operation was calculated for 58 Bulgarian RRCTCSs of N-68 type with non-routed manoeuvres, as well as the probability of their safe operation; the latter probability is proposed to be used to calculate the average residual life of the relay, and based on that, to calculate the average residual life of RRCTCSs of that type. By early 2021, the estimated maximum of the latter is 11 years. The consequences of implementing two strategies in subsequent years are considered: a) «nothing is done» and b) «RRCTCS useful life/age management» (based on the program of gradual decommissioning of N-68 type RRCTCSs and of re-equipment of relevant stations). This is also a prerequisite for safety management of train traffic. It is argued that an average useful life of RRCTCS could be estimated as no more than 60 years in operation. Considering additional factors, this period should be understood as a predicted value of the expected time after which the corresponding RRCTCS will reach the limit state and will be decommissioned. The average useful life and the average residual life should be considered the best guideline for the expected age limit for this type of RRCTCS.

APPROACHES AND PROSPECTS OF IMPROVEMENT OF DUMP CARS FOR OPERATION ON 1520-mm MAINLINE RAILWAYS

The article deals with the models of dump cars, which form the major part of the mainline railway car fleet of 1520 mm. The technical characteristics of the most common mainline dump cars models are given. The design features of the dump car model 31-638, designed for transportation and mechanized unloading of bulk and lump cargo, are presented. Modern models of dump cars of domestic and foreign production for the main railway transport of 1520 mm track, which were constricted and put into serial production in recent years, are presented. The results of comparative analysis of technical characteristics of dump cars of the last generation to modern models of dump cars showed that one of the main advantages of the latter is reduction of container weight, increase of load capacity and body volume, improving of strength and reliability of separate units and systems. The problem units and systems of the existing models of main-line dump cars are determined based on the results of their operation, which need further strengthening. The focus areas of improving the design of modern models of dump cars for the 1520 mm main railway vehicles are defined. The technical requirements for the next generation dump cars, which are planned to be constructed and put into serial production in the coming years for operation on the mainline railway tracks, are proposed. The technical requirements are formed taking into account the research results of modern mainline dump cars design, review of technical and design documentation for these railway vehicles, as well as analysis of requirements and wishes of customers. The necessity of carrying out relevant research and engineering works on the development of new generation dump cars for the main railway transport is substantiated. The content of the article will contribute to the construction of new models of dump cars for the main railway transport and significant upgrading of existing models, as well as increase the efficiency of their operation.

Validation of Agent-Based Passenger Movement Modeling for Railway Stations Subject to Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented difficulties keeping passenger transport running while social distancing has constrained pedestrian movement. To support railway operation an agent-based simulation validated against UK mainline railway station CCTV footage has been developed. The simulation quantifies train alighting- and boarding flow times for different degrees of distancing, rolling stock types, platform size, and passenger numbers. Real-world social distancing behavior was represented, including compromises people make on distancing to achieve their goals. Flow times modeled and those measured from CCTV were within 10%. Relative to a baseline without social distancing, 1-m distancing was predicted to make only a marginal difference to passenger flow times, primarily because of passenger behavior to compromise on distancing at the rate determining door location. For 2-m social distancing, significantly extended passenger alighting and boarding flow times were predicted for busier services (i.e., 2.2 to 2.8 times baseline depending on rolling stock type). These increases in flow time are only predicted to begin when the combined total of boarding and alighting passengers exceeds 10 to 15 per door. The model has applications in transport systems worldwide in avoiding unmaintainable timetables, and in reducing incentives for social distancing compromise when distancing forms a component of suppressing virus transmission.

An Experimental Analysis of Hierarchical Rail Traffic and Train Control in a Stochastic Environment

The hierarchical connection of Rail Traffic Management System (TMS) and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) for mainline railways has been proposed for a while; however, few have investigated this hierarchical connection with the real field. This paper studies in detail the benefits and limitations of an integrated framework of TMS and ATO in stochastic and dynamic conditions in terms of punctuality, energy efficiency, and conflict-resolving. A simulation is built by interfacing a rescheduling tool and a stand-alone ATO tool with the realistic traffic simulation environment OpenTrack. The investigation refers to different disturbed traffic scenarios obtained by sampling train entrance delays and dwell times within a typical Monte Carlo scheme. Results obtained for the Dutch railway corridor Utrecht–Den Bosch prove the value of the approach. In case of no disruptions, the implementation of ATO systems is beneficial for maintaining timetables and saving energy costs. In case of delay disruptions, the TMS rescheduling has its full effect only if trains are able to follow TMS rescheduled timetables, while the energy-saving by using ATO can only be achieved with conflict-free schedules. A bidirectional communication between ATO and TMS is therefore beneficial for conflict-resolving and energy-saving.

Carbon footprinting of railway embankments and cuttings: A circular framework

There is now a consensus that global temperatures are rising and that the world is in a climate emergency. Science has proven unequivocally that there is a relationship between anthropogenic carbon emissions and global warming. Reducing anthropogenic carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 is now one of the highest priorities for many governments around the world. Network Rail (NR), as the GB mainline railway infrastructure manager, have a need to align themselves with the legal requirement to meet net zero by 2050. At present the quantities of carbon in railway geotechnical assets, in particular embankments and cuttings, are not well understood or recorded as separate entities. The research described in this paper aims to fill this gap through the accurate measurement of carbon emissions associated with railway embankments and cuttings in a business as usual (BAU) scenario. This data can then be interrogated to identify potential areas of savings. Carbon sequestration measures such as afforestation and enhanced weathering may also be deployed as part of this effort to balance the carbon in a project to net zero. This paper outlines a proposed framework to measure the lifetime carbon associated with earthworks assets and identify areas of carbon intensity (‘hot spots’). It then discusses potential solutions to reduce carbon and thus assist NR in meeting its science-based targets via a move from a linear to a resource cycle analysis, taking into account circularity principles.

Geogrid reinforcement of ballasted railway superstructure for stabilization of the railway track geometry – A case study

BackgroundThis article deals with a unique topic related to railway infrastructure, civil and geotechnical engineering, and modern materials. In the past 20–30 years, more and more synthetic materials have been applied in engineering and everyday life. Geogrid and geotextile products are adequate for substituting lacking abilities of the soils, and granular materials, mainly low tensile and shear strength, etc. This paper aims to introduce the result of the author's research dealing with investigating the behavior of geogrid-reinforced railway ballast based on a long-term field test in the busiest main railway line in Hungary. The duration of the test is more than eleven years. MethodsFive different types of geosynthetics were installed in the superstructure of the No. 1 main railway line (Kelenföld – Hegyeshalom state border) in Hungary in 2010. More than eleven years have elapsed since the installation. The experiences are formulated in this paper. Mathematical-statistical analysis was performed to compare the (sub)sections with each other and with the designated reference sections where no geogrids were applied. ResultsAs a result of the examination, the author summarized the main differences in the behavior of railway track geometry, and the geometrical deterioration rates, considering the different types of reinforcement products.