Comparative analysis of design parameters for high-speed railway earthworks in different countries and a unified definition of embankment substructure

Abstract

This paper compares design specifications and parameters for high-speed railway (HSR) earthworks in different countries (i.e., China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain and Sweden) for different track types (i.e., ballasted and ballastless), and for different design aspects (i.e., HSR embankment substructure, compaction criteria, width of the substructure surface, settlement control, transition section, and design service life). Explanations for differences in HSR implementation among different countries are provided and reference values of the design parameters are obtained. In an attempt to unify different types of HSR substructures around the world, a widely applicable definition of the stratified embankment substructure based on the practices adopted in different countries is proposed. The functions and requirements of each functional layer (i.e., the blanket layer, frost protection layer and filtering layer) are summarized.