Developing climate-resilient and eco-sustainable railway earthwork by mitigating geohazards while balancing biodiversity

The resilient and sustainable development of railway networks is fundamental for economic and social progress, especially under the current climate. To achieve this, we must embrace new innovative solutions while replicating best practices that benefit nature. Alongside increasing the infrastructure resilience and safety, we need transformative changes in railway earthwork asset development that go beyond prioritising decarbonisation and digitalisation and seek to restore nature, safeguard biodiversity and produce positive outcomes for human societies. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI, earth observation, statistical analysis, advanced numerical modelling, laboratory tests and sensor technologies, RESOLVE seeks to integrate conventional engineering practices with life sciences, empowered by data science. Furthermore, RESOLVE will pioneer synergistic solutions that tackle climate change adaptation in railway earthwork assets while creating opportunities for nature restoration. This attempt involves developing nature-based solutions (NBS) and environmentally friendly construction materials, with the additional aim of fostering biodiversity restoration beyond ground reinforcement. Highly skilled researchers and practitioners, capable of dealing with such problems are scarce and in high demand by academia and industry. Thus, formed with 11 world leading research organisations and 3 companies across Europe and internationally with expertise and facilities in these areas, RESOLVE aims to ensure comprehensive, robust and implementable solutions are obtained for railway network climate resilience built and eco-sustainable development. The network is carefully designed to enables research and innovative staff exchange across all aspects. RESOLVE secondees will enjoy a highly integrated, interdisciplinary and intersectoral staff exchange, sharing know-how and skills development environment through the planned secondments, networkwide events and local trainings.