An international conference to discuss railway track foundations will be held at the University of Birmingham from 11 – 13 September 06.
Railway track foundations play a significant role in the how track support systems respond to loading from passing trains. In the early stages of track construction, support to sleepers received little attention. Today the significance of track foundations is understood, but more research in to the behaviour of the track is needed.
The conference aims to address all issues surrounding track foundations and to bring together researchers and practitioners from around the world to present their work on this subject so that a wider audience can learn from their individual or corporate experience.
Dr Gurmel Ghataora, chairman of the conference organising committee, says, ‘If a track is built on poorly engineered foundations and is subject to faster trains and higher loading, a loss of track geometry can result and this leads to increased maintenance costs.’
Eminent speakers have been enlisted from across the world with renowned expertise in their subject areas and papers will be given by experts from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the USA.
Further information on the conference can be found at www.railfound.org or by contacting the conference organiser at enquiries@railfound.org
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For further information
Kate Chapple, Press Officer, University of Birmingham, tel 0121 414 2772 or 07789 921164.