Track bed
Appearance
(Redirected from Railbed)
![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Section_through_railway_track_and_foundation.png/220px-Section_through_railway_track_and_foundation.png)
The track bed or trackbed is the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links.
Background
[edit]According to Network Rail, the trackbed is the layers of ballast and sub-ballast above a prepared subgrade/formation (see diagram). It is designed primarily to reduce the stress on the subgrade.
Other definitions include the surface of the ballast on which the track is laid,[1] the area left after a track has been dismantled and the ballast removed[1] or the track formation beneath the ballast and above the natural ground.[2]
The trackbed can significantly influence the performance of the track, especially ride quality of passenger services.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Ellis, Iain (2006). Ellis' British Railway Engineering Encyclopaedia. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-8472-8643-7., p. 386.
- ^ Jackson, Alan A. (2006). The Railway Dictionary (4th ed.). Sutton Publishing Ltd. p. 297. ISBN 0-7509-4218-5.