Evaluation of conventional methods in Analysis and Design of Railway Track System

Current practices in railway track analysis and design are reviewed and discussed in this paper. The mechanical behavior of railway track structure comprising of various components has not been fully understood due to the railway track structural complexity. Although there have been some improvements in the accuracy of current track design methods in recent decades, there are still considerable uncertainties concerning the accuracy and reliability of the current methods. This indicates a need for a thorough review and discussion on the current practices in the analysis and design of railway track systems. In this paper, railway design approaches proposed by various standards along with the results of a wide range of technical researches are studied and necessary suggestions are made for the improvement of current practices in the analysis and design of railway tracks.