Ballasted track is traditional on many railways, has a relatively low installation cost and is straightforward to adjust in terms of line and level. However, the ongoing maintenance requirement is significant, with railway administrations typically spending up to 50% of total operating costs on track maintenance and renewal.
This presentation will summarise results from the recently completed study "Track 21", with the aim of moving towards "tampless track". It will show how interventions such as under sleeper pads, changing the ballast grading or the shoulder slope, and the addition of randomly placed fibre reinforcements can reduce rates of accumulation of permanent settlement. The presentation will then discuss how these findings are being taken forward in the programme grant "Track to the future".