Effect of Very High-Speed Traffic on the Deterioration of Track Geometry

The new high-speed rail line between Madrid and Barcelona has been designed so that commercial vehicles can operate at maximum speeds of up to 350 km/h (219 mph). Criteria are outlined that have been adopted by the Spanish railways to ensure that the track geometry deterioration on the new Madrid–Barcelona line will be no greater than the track geometry deterioration found on the existing high-speed line between Madrid and Seville 300 km/h (187 mph). Attention has focused on two primary factors—( a) reduction of axle load and unsprung mass of the vehicles and ( b) reduction of the vertical rigidity of base plates between sleepers and rails.