The science and analytical tools to design long life, low noise railway track systems

Electrified railways are the only form of powered transport realistically offering zero CO2 emissions at point of use. A reduction in CO2 emissions from transport will require a massive shift from road to rail, itself a challenge as even a 10% shift in the UK would double rail traffic. This is on top of a doubling in rail travel and increased intensity of use of the network since 1994, exposing the limitations of traditional track forms as real time maintenance needs increased and the time available for maintenance reduced. The rail industry is also under pressure to reduce costs and environmental impacts including noise and vibration, often a major cause of objections to proposed new and upgraded lines.

The contribution of rail transport to social wellbeing, regeneration and growth is well established; and rail is now seen as the key to unlocking prosperity, improving east-west connectivity in the UK and reducing the north-south economic divide. Planned UK and international rail investment is unprecedented in a century, but increased demands and expectations have revealed gaps in the knowledge needed for effective, rational investment. Scope for cost savings and improved environmental performance through better track system design and longevity is substantial: Network Rail currently spends £3.5bn p.a. on infrastructure maintenance and renewal, and will invest £38bn in 2014-9.

TRACK to the FUTURE (T2F) will discover the scientific knowledge and develop the analytical tools to design long-life, low-noise railway track systems that are economical to install, require minimal maintenance, and optimize environmental performance. It will deliver step-change improvements in three key areas:

1.Track life: track maintenance is costly in cash and carbon terms, and interferes with operations. T2F will explore new, low-maintenance track forms. It will develop an understanding of the relationships between track stiffness and settlement, which can be measured, and differential movement of the track, which causes performance to deteriorate. It will extend ballast life by understanding and eliminating or mitigating causes of deterioration and developing designs that will continue to perform well long after deterioration has set in; and will facilitate ballast re-use rather than downcycling or disposal.

2.Switches (points) and transitions: where trains change direction and cross tracks or other infrastructure there is a complex interaction of geometry, support, wheel profile and vehicle dynamics. This is not sufficiently understood and frequent costly and disruptive maintenance is required. T2F will draw together the key areas of ground support, switch or transition zone geometry, and vehicle dynamics for the reliable assessment of crossing and transition zone behaviour, life and maintenance needs.

3.Noise and vibration: public tolerance of vibration and noise from railways is decreasing as use intensifies, yet these are traditionally regarded as secondary in design. T2F will develop and demonstrate, through modelling and full-scale testing, a low-noise, low-vibration track consistent with reduced whole life costs and low maintenance.

In every aspect, T2F will address the effects of millions of cycles of complex loads to which track systems are subjected in a modern environment, taking into account the combined effects of noise, vibration, vehicle dynamics and ground behaviour, non-uniformities of loading and non-linearities in response. The research will lead to the development of integrated tools, based on sound fundamental principles and reliable observations of behaviour, for assessing performance of track systems including transitions and crossings, noise and vibration. These will be incorporated into existing industry analytical models to improve the performance and reduce maintenance needs of railway track systems, in support of the DfT Rail Technical Strategy 2040 vision of infrastructure fit for the 21st century.

Infrastructure owners (eg Network Rail (NR) LUL and politically significant players like HS2) will benefit from long-life, low-noise track systems that are economical to install, low in maintenance, and environmentally optimized. Train operators will gain from a more reliable, available and serviceable network; and the UK rail industry will profit from new and exploitable knowledge and expertise. Innovation by suppliers, contractors and designers engaged in construction, renewal and maintenance will be enabled by new fundamental scientific understanding. New knowledge will create export opportunities for industry, giving the UK a competitive advantage in reduced costs and new skills and techniques.

The travelling public, taxpayer and national economy will benefit from a more efficient, optimized rail infrastructure. The contribution of rail transport to social and economic wellbeing, regeneration and growth is well established. An efficient, low carbon rail system will contribute to the nation's wealth and health, its carbon strategies, and its citizens' quality of life. These long term benefits will start to feed through during the life of the programme, will be harvested in the medium term (accelerating over 5-10 years) and will be cumulative over the long term, increasing over 30 plus years as more of the network benefits from new understandings.

Impact and speed of uptake of research outputs will be maximized by close engagement with users through our Industry Steering Group, including representatives of NR and LUL, cross-industry bodies eg DfT, ATOC, RIA and RSSB, and leading companies including Pandrol, Tata and URS. Direct uptake of the research will be facilitated by the development of modules for industry standard models VTISM and T-SPA, and through interest groups eg the NR Track Stiffness Forum. Outputs will be disseminated via face-to-face meetings, industry seminars/workshops, magazine and journal articles, a Programme website, conference presentations and learned society activities. Our associated doctoral students will gain world-leading technical competence and will have an impact well beyond the term of the grant as highly-skilled engineers in industry and as a new generation of researchers and academics.

NR, LUL, DfT and the Office of Rail Regulation will benefit from an enhanced evidence base to underpin investment and policy decisions. HS2, the Treasury and a range of stakeholders in conventional and high speed rail will benefit similarly. The Programme supports the DfT Rail Technical Strategy and the NR Technical Strategy at a time of massive growth in rail use and new construction; increasing volume, weight and speed of traffic; extending operating hours; and declining public tolerance of vibration and noise. It supports UK and EU government aspirations on decarbonising land transport, safeguarding critical raw materials, the development of a circular economy and dealing with environmental noise.

The new knowledge will be of immediate and long-term value. The research will quickly benefit European policymakers and R&D: it is immediately relevant to the EC's 7-year Shift2Rail programme, whose targets include an indicative surge in the utilisation of capacity of 70-90%, with a parallel reduction in recurrent operational costs of 25-45% and potential savings in delivery costs for major infrastructure projects and related systems of up to 30%. T2F will benefit the UK rail research community by ensuring that it remains at the forefront of this transformation, retaining its world-leading position and reputation.

We will provide advocacy in science and engineering and inspire the next generation of engineers, through outreach activities including open days, visits to schools, and events such as the successful "TEAtime" events for GCSE and A -level students. We will encourage girls and young women to take up careers in engineering, supporting groups and activities such as Dragonfly & THEANO.