Railway Formation: Site Investigations

Site Investigations

The following data should be collected for determining the type of treatment to be given to the formation.

History of the affected section This includes information about the period of construction, method of construction, date of opening to traffic, sub-soil, bank settlement slips, speed restrictions, etc.

Site details These include various details of the site such as bank heights, depth of cuttings, nature of existing slopes, drainage conditions, stagnation of water, condition and proximity of borrow pits, signs of movement and bulging of the slopes, and groundwater level and its position during rains.

Number of visits to track The particulars of the number of visits to the track should be obtained from the gang charts for the last five years to get an idea of track maintainability. Man-days utilized for maintenance per kilometre should also be determined vis-à-vis the total number of men required for normal maintenance.

Ballast penetration profiles Ballast penetration profiles should be obtained at regular intervals from one telegraph post to indicate the extent of ballast penetration and the condition of the ballast.

Exact nature of present problem The exact nature of the present problem should be identified.

Remedial measures

The relevant remedial measures should be formulated based on the site investigations and soil testing. Some of the suggested remedial measures for the formation problems generally encountered are listed in Table 9.2.

Table 9.2   Remedial measures for foundation problems