TerraRail studies railway structures to improve the life-cycle efficiency of track maintenance. The study area includes all track components in the track structure, from the subsoil to the rails and vehicle-track interaction.
Our research aims at a comprehensive understanding of the track structure:
- Simulation of loads caused by a moving train
- Development of track components and track structure materials
- Track behaviour modelling
- Development of design methods
- Track behaviour and load monitoring
Our strength lies in experimental research conducted with versatile arrangements ranging from laboratory-scale material analyses to field measurements and full-scale load tests. The research methods are complemented by the computational modelling of the behaviour of the structures, simulations, and literature reviews of international research results.
The ongoing research is mainly based on the High-Speed Mixed Traffic Railways (NOSERA in Finnish) research programme, which is being implemented in cooperation with the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The cooperation agreement is for four years and covers the years 2021–2024. The research programme is a continuation of a long-term cooperation, in which the above-mentioned entities have also included the four-year research programmes Lifecycle Efficient Railway Maintenance (ETEVÄ in Finnish) and Life Cycle Efficient Railway (TERA in Finnish) 1 and 2.
The previously completed projects can be found at former projects.