Ballast stressing on a railway track and the behaviour of limestone ballast

Abstract

In this paper the results of the tests performed on the ballast used in the Greek network are presented. The tests were conducted in laboratories in France and Greece, and led to a change in the Greek technical specifications. Moreover, the need for a new method for the calculation of the actions on the railway superstructure is analyzed in terms of track maintenance and passenger's comfort. Finally, the influence of the limestone ballast on the track response and the need for new higher demands in the specifications is discussed. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, London.