Rehabilitation of Curtici - Simeria Frontier Railway
Tensar geogrids played a key role in upgrading the Frontier?-Curtici-Simeria railway in Romania, enabling it to carry trains running at 160km/h, as part of the Pan-European Railway Corridor Line IV project.
Benefits
- 1.5M m2 of Tensar geogrid installed to increase line speeds to 160km/h
- Reducing the rate of ballast settlement and traffic-induced degradation
- Cutting excavation and material use, saving time and cost
- Increasing time between maintenance events
Three sections of line were underlain by weak and highly saturated ground, which was unsuitable for meeting the increased train speeds and traffic loads. A high-performing and economical solution was needed to minimise excavation of the weak subgrade and replacement with sub-ballast, to provide a stable foundation for the upgraded track.
Tensar TriAx TX150 geogrid was used to mechanically stabilise the sub-ballast, improving the track’s performance and reducing long-term settlement and traffic-induced degradation. The solution meant a thinner sub-ballast layer could be placed, compared with a non-stabilised layer, reducing excavation and saving time and cost.