3. Infrastructure
Like all transport systems, railroads require ground infrastructure. It can be broken down into three main sub-assemblies:
platform and track ;
engineering structures ;
terminals and stations.
3.1 Platform and ballast
The platform represents the land area. In France, the platform occupied by railroads represented 97,000 ha in 2003. In most cases, the construction of a railway line requires specific works such as embankments, embankments and excavations, with the addition or extraction of materials. Special precautions are taken to ensure drainage and evacuation of rainwater. Ballast, made of hard, angular aggregate, is spread on the...
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Railway systems
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Infrastructure
Rolling stock
References
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
