Complete Manual Embedded Rail Systems on Bridges Design and integration directives and realisation methods of edilon)(sedra Corkelast® ERS (Embedded Rail Systems) 1 Acknowledgements No book can ever be written without the help of others and it is no different with this manual. We want to thank the railway bridge experts who were willing to critically read the text contained in this book and to provide valuable information. Thank you Graham Reeves of AGA Rail Consultancy Limited for your editing expertise. We would also like to thank the readers for their input and constructive criticism. Edited by Frans Klösters | Amy de Man | Rik Monteban | Gertjan Laan © 2017 edilon)(sedra All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of edilon)(sedra. For permission requests please contact [email protected]. 2 Complete Manual Embedded Rail Systems on Bridges Table of contents Introduction 4 Reading guide 5 Chapter 1 What is the Corkelast® ERS Embedded Rail System? 6 1.1 History 6 1.2 The embedded rail system 6 Chapter 2 ERS features explained 10 2.1 Application and features of the embedded rail system 10 2.2 Limited construction height 11 2.3 Considerable reduction in construction weight 12 2.4 Reduction in noise pollution 12 2.5 Effective elimination of residual currents 13 2.6 Maintenance friendly 13 2.7 Deferred wave and side wear compared to discrete rail bearing points 13 2.8 Operation continues following track damage 14 2.9 Replacement of damaged or defective rail is possible 14 2.10 Does not attract dirt and is easier to clean 14 2.11 Fast and safe emergency evacuation 14 2.12 Accessible for road traffic 15 2.13 Aesthetically perfectly compatible 15 2.14 Easily compatible in alignment 15 2.15 Forgiving with rail adjustment in the channel 15 2.16 Quick installation possible 15 Chapter 3 Design and compatibility 16 3.1 Bridge structure 16 3.2 Bridge implementation 19 3.3 Integration of the embedded rail system on or in the bridge structure 24 3.4 Other characteristics and specifications 27 Chapter 4 New constructions and conversions 30 4.1 New constructions 30 4.2 Conversions 30 Chapter 5 Maintenance, repairs and renovation 33 5.1 Maintenance and repairs 33 5.2 Renovation 34 Final notes 35 3 Introduction When edilon)(sedra builds a bridge we start with must also be maintenance friendly and cater for the track! When designing bridges that facilitate future developments. It must also be possible to railway systems, a wide variety of technical, social quickly install a system and to perform mainte- and financial considerations must be taken into nance within a limited period of time to maximise account. Often a suitable railway system is only availability. Furthermore, it is important to take the decided upon after the bridge has been designed. architectural suitability of bridges and accompa- This could be an opportunity missed, especially nying railway system with the environment into when you consider the benefits offered by the consideration. edilon)(sedra Corkelast® ERS (Embedded Rail System) - hereinafter only ERS. This also serves This manual will attempt to build a bridge between as a vital requirement when designing a light rail the diversity of challenges faced when designing or heavy rail bridge to first determine the optimum railway bridges and the solutions that ERS track structure, with a holistic view of the project Embedded Rail System provides in practice. requirements. Considerations that must be addressed when using embedded rails on bridges are considered The integrated design of the bridge and track must from a technical/ practical point of view. The result comply with requirements with regard to sustai- of the considerations must be addressed as a nability, safety, vibrations and noise disturbances whole and it must result in the integral realisation and aesthetic requirements. It must for example of a railway bridge design. be easy to integrate a railway system into different types of bridges and bridge decks. The system Djurgårdsbron bridge in Stockholm, Zweden - ERS for trams Saiwai bridge in Fukui City, Japan - ERS for trams 4 Complete Manual Embedded Rail Systems on Bridges Reading guide Chapter 1 of the manual provides a description of Dutch train protection system), signal and detection the Corkelast® ERS Embedded Rail System. currents and draining. Chapter 2 contains a discussion of the features Chapter 4 discusses new construction and recon- of the ERS system. A description is also provided struction methods of the embedded rail system on of where these features have been derived from bridges. and what benefits they hold with regard to railway bridges. Aspects such as technical implementati- Chapter 5 discusses maintenance, repairs and re- on, operation, finances and lifespan are also dis- novation of the embedded rail system on bridges. cussed in more detail. For consistent coordination of topics, the standard Chapter 3 looks in detail into the design technical as used by the Dutch rail structure operator ProRail application of embedded rail systems with bridges. forms an important part of Chapter 3. Another prin- Different types of bridges and bridge covers are ciple that concerns all chapters is design experien- discussed, based on the compatibility of ERS, ce gained through international light rail as well as solutions for transition zones, integration of compensation welds or devices, as well as glue seals, ATB (Automatische Trein Beïnvloeding - a In case of questions and/or remarks related to this manual: T +31 (0)23 5319519 | E [email protected] Pont de Recouvrance in Brest, France - ERS for trams 5 Chapter 1 What is the Corkelast® ERS Embedded Rail System? 1.1 History 1.2 The embedded rail system Due to the typical geographic aspects of the The most important feature of the ERS Embedded Netherlands - a landscape with numerous Rail System is that the rail is attached without channels and rivers that mostly lies below sea the use of traditional rail fastenings. The rail is level - the country has many large and small instead anchored in a concrete or steel channel by bridges in the railway network. Typically old steel “embedding” it or by bonding the rail with a two- bridges often required excessive maintenance, component polyurethane plastic: while they also impact on the surrounding edilon)(sedra Corkelast®. The rail is thereby environment generating high noise and vibration continuously supported by the elastic Trackelast® levels. In order to combat these problems, Dutch Rail Strip. After hardening it remains slightly Railways (currently ProRail) and edilon)(sedra elastic, but very tough, thereby creating a very started to look for sustainable solutions to these stable and very durable rail bond. Below is an longstanding impacts. One of the solutions was image of the embedded edilon)(sedra Corkelast®. the edilon)(sedra Corkelast® ERS (Embedded Rail System), which was already in extensive use at level crossings. The first application of ERS on bridges soon followed, which was on a 250 metre long concrete bridge ‘Roode Vaart’, which is a part of a goods line in the city of Rotterdam. This bridge was originally installed in 1972 and did not require any substantial maintenance until the rail replacement in 2012. Embedding of edilon)(sedra Corkelast® The system technical properties of ERS provide a very stable, durable and continuous support of the rails and a uniform transfer of forces from the rail to the supporting environment. This addresses forces and tension caused by passing rail and road traffic and physical influences such as temperature changes. Since the plastic used is in liquid form initially, any The ‘Roode Vaart’ bridge in the Netherlands was installed in 1972 rail profile can be bonded with the same method, without having to use special components. Since then ERS has been used all over the world Naturally a suitable channel design is required. in a variety of rail applications. The most common use of ERS is with level crossings and bridges, but it can also be found in railway tunnels, stations, depots, tram lanes and crane way. 6 Complete Manual Embedded Rail Systems on Bridges Example of an application of an embedded rail system: Danube bridge in Tulln, Austria (ballast serves to reduce noise) 7 Application of the embedded rail fastening method delivers a number of benefits, as summarised below: • Very limited construction height • Does not attract dirt and is easier to clean • Sharp reduction in construction weight • Facilitates fast and safe emergency evacuation • Reduction in noise pollution • Provides a running surface accessible to • Effective elimination of residual currents road/traffic • Maintenance friendly • Aesthetically compatible with numerous • Deferred wave and side wear compared environments to discrete rail bearing points • Easily compatible in alignment • Operation continues following rail damage • Enables rail adjustment to be undertaken in the • Replacement of a single defective rail is channel possible • Quick installation Chapter 2 explains where these features originate from and what they could mean. Corkelast® ERS - application examples in a concrete channel (Vignole and groove rail). Variant with filler blocks (light grey) and Trackelast® Rail Strip (orange). Corkelast® ERS - application examples in a steel channel (vignole and groove rail). Variant with PVC tubes and Trackelast® Rail Strip (orange). 8 Complete Manual Embedded Rail Systems on Bridges Example of an application of the embedded rail system: Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands 9 Chapter 2 ERS features explained 2.1 Application and features of the embedded rail system This chapter discusses the most important The edilon)(sedra Corkelast® ERS (Embedded features of the embedded rail system, where these Rail System) - or ERS - has been in use for features were derived from and which benefits decades already throughout the world and it these features offer to railway bridges.