Development

These web pages reproduce the executive summary of the Britpave publication Slabtrack Development: Guidance on relevant standards and sources of information.

Visit the Britpave Shop to purchase Slabtrack Development: Guidance on relevant standards and sources of information as a hard copy (free to Britpave members)

Executive Summary

This report summarises the findings of a study into available standards and guidance for slab track carried out by Arup on behalf of Britpave (the British In-situ Concrete Paving Association).

The objectives of the study were to:

• Identify aspects that need to be considered at all stages of a slabtrack solution from design, through construction, operation and maintenance to decommissioning;
• Identify existing information available from infrastructure owner,UK, European and International standards and guidance documents and specifications covering all aspects of slab track design, construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning;
• Review the above documents for currency and relevance;
• Identify gaps in the available guidance.

The study found that, as a whole, existing European and infrastructure owner (Network Rail, London Underground Limited, etc.) standards provided sufficient general guidance on several of the issues that are likely to arise during consideration of a slab track solution. However, it was also evident that these documents had typically been prepared within the context of ballasted track and, therefore, do not address the specific characteristics of slab track.

Where specific aspects such as track slab design, transition zones, testing and commissioning and decommissioning were concerned, the study found that there were no standards covering slab track.

The study concluded that additional guidance would be useful in:

• Highlighting relevant and applicable standards and clarifying the application of these standards to the specific provision of slabtrack;
• Providing interim methodology where standards are absent.
• The study also noted that certain projects, which are either in progressor have been completed in the UK, could provide a basis or starting point for the development of further guidance.