The document discusses railroad design standards from AREMA and UIC, outlining differences in parameters like axle loading limits, bridge ratings, clearance requirements, and curvature standards, with AREMA standards generally accommodating heavier loads and longer trains compared to UIC. Rail infrastructure types are also reviewed, including different track classifications for main lines, yards, and sidings. Yard and facility designs are explored, along with examples of classification yards, storage facilities, and terminal layouts.

1. Railroad Design
The Second Kuwait Metro and
Rail Conference & Exhibition
April 17, 2012

2. Outline of Presentation
•Railroad Design
–Understanding Railroads
–Rail Infrastructure Types
–Yards and Facility Design
–AREMA and UIC Standards
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3. What Is Special About Railroading?
• Trains covey a lot of freight and passengers quickly
and efficiently
– Trains - 18,000+ tons and over 2 miles long.
– Rail is a “GREEN” - 1 ton / 500 miles / 1 gallon or
1 metric ton / 833 KM / 4 liters.
• IEA estimates global averages for carbon intensity, by
those estimates:
– Passenger rail has 4 to 6 times lower carbon emissions
then air transportation.
– Freight rail has 7 to 13 times lower carbon emissions then
long distance trucking.
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4. HDR
Railroad Design
Understanding Railroads

5. USA Rail Design Standards
AREMA
Means
American Railway Engineering & Maintenance
Association.
AREMA has committees with representative of all
North American Railways to offer guidance on the
design specification of railways and operational
components
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6. Europe Standards
UIC
International Union of Railways, is an
international rail transport industry body
(French: Union Internationale des
Chemins de fer)
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7. AREMA and UIC Standards
• AREMA
– American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way
Association
– merger of three engineering support associations
• UIC
– (French: Union Internationale des Chemins de fer), or
International Union of Railways, is an international rail
transport industry body.
• North American rail system is one of the premier freight
hauling systems, the cost to move a ton of freight are
the lowest in the world.
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8. HDR
Railroad Design
Rail Infrastructure Types

9. Design Elements
UIC and AREMA
• Track Roadbed and bridges
• Track Work, Spirals and Curves
• Clearances for the width and height of the train
• Locomotives
• Freight Cars (Wagons)
• Train Lengths, Trailing Tonnage and Train
Dynamics
• Construction Costs and Operating Cost
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10. Main Line Track
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11. Infrastructure Track Design Types
Requires Different Design Standards
• Main line (differing traffic densities)
• Branch line or side tracks
• Yard lead
• Yard body tracks
• Industry lead tracks
• Industry spur tracks
• Shop tracks
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12. Multiple Main Line Track & Siding Track
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13. Types of Yards
• Classification yards
– Flat switching
– Hump or mini-hump
• Receiving yards
• Departure yards
• Storage or staging yards
(coal, grain, other unit trains)
• Intermodal yards
(COFC, TOFC, autos)
• Shop or maintenance yards
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14. Yard Tracks
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15. HDR
Railroad Design
Yards and Facility Design

16. The Yard - Definition
• A system of tracks other than the main tracks and
sidings used for storing cars and assembling, sorting,
classifying and forwarding trains.
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17. Storage or “SIT” Yard
• Store excess equipment
• “Storage-in-Transit” for product awaiting sale or
distribution
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18. Local Yards
• Small yard used to sort and hold cars for nearby
customers served by a “local” switching run
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19. Branch Line Track
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20. Terminal or Division Yard
• “A facility for separating trains or cuts of cars via
prearranged plans for distributing the cars in blocks
according to destinations, routes or commodities.”
• Where most non-unit trains start and end their runs
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21. Mini-hump Classification Yard
• Similar track arrangement to flat switching yard
•Mini-hump
•Crest
•-0.5%
•Dowty piston retarders
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22. Major Retarder Hump Classification
• Tracks spread from hump in a “fan”
•Major retarder hump
•Group
•retarders
•Master
•retarder
•Crest •Tangent
point
•retarders
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23. Standard Ladder
• Standard ladders
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24. Typical Track Section
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25. Track Roadbed and Bridges
Basic Design Criteria:
Track consists of two steel rails that are 56 ½ inches
apart, supported by timber or concrete crossties,
resting on rock ballast and sub-ballast, which, in turn,
rests on sub-grade or embankment of the land.
The track structure must support loads generated by
modern heavy-haul freight trains, which can weigh
17,000 tons or more and each wheel which carries
36,000 pounds or 18 tons
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26. AREMA Design Limits
Track Structure Stresses
•Wheel-Rail Contact Stress ~ 100,000 PSI
• Rail Bending Stress < 25,000 PSI
• Tie Bearing Stress < 200 PSI
• Ballast Bearing Stress < 85 PSI
• Sub-grade Bearing Stress < 20 PSI
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27. AREMA Design Limits Cont
Track Loading Range
•Lateral Loads up to 15,000 lbs (side load against inside of rail)
•Vertical Loads up to 36,000 lbs per wheel (Dynamic impact ~
3X)
•Longitudinal forces up to 20,000 lbs per rail (along the rail
traveling direction of the train)
Bridge Loading Rating –
Cooper E 80 (design for two 4 axle driving engines weighing
284 tons each and pull a 8,000 lb per linear foot loaded train
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28. HDR
Railroad Design
UIC versus AREMA
Design Standards

29. UIC verses AREMA Design Standards
• How to compare
– Track Roadbed and Bridges
– Track Work, Spirals and Curves
– Clearances for the width and height of the
train
– Locomotives
– Freight Cars (Wagons)
– Train Lengths, trailing tonnage and train
dynamics
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30. AREMA - UIC
PARAMETERS UIC AREMA
Axel Loading 22-25 TPA 35.7TPA (English)
(Metric) 32.4 TA (Metric)
Bridge Rating 25 TPA Cooper E-80 Exceeds TPA
requirements
Width Clearance W 3150 mm (10’-4”) W3251mm (10’-8”)
Height Clearance 3175 mm (10’-4”) Plate H
rising to 4280mm 6147mm
14’-1/2” at track Center above Provide 20’-2” Min. above top of
top of rail rail
Curvature 750 m curve radius 2 degree, 19 267 m curve radius 6 degree Max
min Maximum curvature curvature
Cant 120 mm Max. (4.72 in) 76.2 mm max (3 inches)
Design Speed /Low Freight 120 kph Design speed 120 kph Design Speed
80 kph Operating Speed 120kph Operating Speed
Recommend Specific Curve
Speed in Mountain Grade
Draft Gear Tensile Strength 224,800 pounds(lbs) 350,000 lbs standard
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Heavy Duty

31. Railway Design Standards
AREMA Standards will:
• Provide for Railway that can handle the heavier axle loads
• Provide Freight Car equipment that can carry the most freight per
car (both in tonnage and in cubic capacity)
• Provide for the longest size of trains and reduce daily operating
costs
• Provides for an open international market for suppliers of
locomotives and freight cars to bid and compete in pricing to
supply the highest quality and lowest cost equipment to the
Middle Eastern countries.
• Provides the flexibility to operate Double Stacked rail transport
versus single stacked trailer on flatcar (TOFC) or container on
flatcar (COFC).
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32. North American Double Stack train
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33. North American Auto Train
Provides for the loading of up to 15 automobiles or 10 trucks or SUV into a single fright car
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34. Railroad Design
Questions