Improved and sustainable design of railway embankments in canadian cold climate

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Canada has more than 49,000 km of railway tracks and millions of dollars are invested annually by the Canadian National Railway Company to maintain and expand the tracks across the country. Understanding and addressing the issues related to the performance of railway tracks in seasonally cold climates is, therefore, essential.This partnership between McGill and Titan Environmental Containment Ltd. aims to combine the university's research expertise and testing facilities with Titan's industrial experience and knowledge of the field to investigate the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced ballasted railway substructures in seasonally cold regions. The incorporation of geosynthetic-reinforcement in critical sections along a given ballasted railway embankment can minimize the adverse effects of differential movement, reduce maintenance costs, and improve the long-term performance of the railway supporting system. That said, choosing a suitable reinforcement type and deciding on the optimum configuration in the context of the Canadian cold climate need further investigation.This study involves both experimental and numerical investigations to: (i) understand the response of two specific Titan grids used in embankment construction under varying temperature; (ii) assess the response typical reinforced railway embankment over weak subgrade; (iii) identify the parameters that are conducive to optimal track performance using numerical analysis. The ultimate goal is to provide engineers with alternative design options for critical railway embankments.It is expected that the results of this study will help engineers in designing more sustainable railway embankments. This study is of importance to Canada as the proposed construction approach could significantly enhance the service life of these railway structures.