4.6 METHODS OF PROTECTING RAILWAYS IN DESERT CONDITIONS

Abstract

This article discusses methods for protecting railways in desert areas with sandy soils. It also examines techniques for reinforcing the railway subgrade using various types of grass seeds.

Keywords: railway subgrade, ballast prism, sleepers, rails, protective layer, subgrade protection, soil.

The development and improvement of railway transport operations, as well as the enhancement of its efficiency, can be ensured through a high level of reliability of the railway track and the operational stability of its load-bearing foundation – the railway subgrade, which is a complex engineering structure constructed from sandy soils of diverse origin.

The existing railways in Uzbekistan pass through three main natural and climatic zones – irrigated areas, deserts, and mountainous regions. The total length of Uzbekistan's railway network exceeds 7.4 thousand kilometers, of which about 80% pass through sandy deserts and semi-deserts [2,3], including areas with shifting sands. Any damage or threat to the safety of train operations in these sections can lead to disruptions in the functioning of the entire railway network. After the construction of the railways, the destruction of previously stabilized sands led to the emergence of shifting sands along railway lines and near stations.

Shifting and partially stabilized sands in Uzbekistan cover more than 13 million hectares. Large areas of land adjacent to desert zones have historically been under threat from shifting sands (the Amu Darya Delta, parts of the Kyzylkum Desert, and the Alat, Karakul, Jandar, Kagan, Romitan, and Karaulbazar districts of the Bukhara region bordering the Sundukli sands; the Mubarek, Bahoristan, Nishan, and other districts of the Kashkadarya region; and lands in the Jizzakh region bordering the Kyzylkum Desert and Surkhandarya region) [2,4].

To reinforce the railway subgrade, both traditional anti-deformation structures based on proven technologies [5] and new structural solutions and implementation technologies are currently being used.