Climate-Resilient Railway Sleepers to Mitigate Track Buckling Risk

As global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the railway industry faces an important challenge: track buckling. Railway tracks, made of steel rail sections welded together and placed on sleepers, are susceptible to thermal expansion during hot weather, leading to dangerous track shifting. Such buckling not only poses a significant safety hazard , and causes train derailments , but also disrupts transportation networks, resulting in substantial delays. For example, recent surges in heatwaves across Europe in 2022 led to widespread buckling-induced service cancellations. Considering climate change projections show that future temperature changes will be geographically dependent (e.g. North vs South Europe), buckling risk will differ depending upon geographical location. This is important because buckling resistance is heavily influenced by the track sleepers, which although designed to last >120 years, do not consider future climate changes in their design. To address this, CRRS will develop a novel railway sleeper design method that reduces track buckle risk compared to traditional approaches. This will be achieved by applying a novel recycled rubber coating to sleepers to increase surface friction, while also designing sleeper geometry to meet expected thermal climate changes in the geographical region it will be installed.