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Transportation EngineeringPresentation

title Types of railway tracks in Pakistan

Present by Ayaz Ahmad

Civil EngineerUniversity of lahore

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Presentation contentIntroductionElements of Railway tracksGauge Types of track gauges in Pakistan 1, Broad gauge 2, Metre gauge 3, Narrow gauge Suitability Effect of gauges on railway transport.Advantages, Disadvantages, Loading Gauge.

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IntroductionRailway Track;The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the

structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, British English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying sub grade. It enables trains to move by providing a dependable surface for their wheels to roll. For clarity it is often referred to as railway track.

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IntroductionElements of railway tracks;A railway track is a combination of 1. Formation2. Ballast3. Sleepers4. Rails5. Fastenings

1. Formation;The surface prepared to receive the ballast, sleepers, rails, etc.. for constructing the railway track is called formation or sub grade.

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Elements of railway tracks;2. BALLAST;Ballast is a layer of broken stone, gravel, or any other suitable material placed under and around the sleepers for distributing the load from the sleepers to the formation.

3. SLEEPERS;Sleeper is transverse support for a railway to give

stiffness to it. it’s may Wooden sleepers. Steel sleepers. Cast iron sleepers. Concrete sleepers

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Elements of railway tracks4. RAILS;Rail is an iron beam. Its main function is to provide a most economical, smooth and level surface for the smooth passage of heavily loaded vehicles at great speed.The two rails of the track also serve as a lateral guide for the running of the wheels.

5. Fastenings;The devices used to connect rails and sleepers together to form the track are known as fastenings.

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Types of railway tracks in Pakistan INDO-PAK Policy for Gauge,The types of tracks is categorized on the basis of gauges,

The total cost of construction railway directly depends on gauges, wider the gauge higher will be the cost.

•At the time of construction of railway the policy adopted for the gauge selection will depend on the intensity of traffic.

Gauge; Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a single railway line.

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Track gauges in Pakistan

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Track gauges in PakistanCommonly used gauges in INDO-PAK are Broad Gauge

Meter Gauge

Narrow Gauge

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Tracks gauges in PakistanBroad gauge;The broad gauge line is the most widely used in

India and Pakistan with approximately 108,500 km (67,400 mi) of track length and 60,430 km (37,549 mi) of route length in 2016. It is also called Indian gauge and is the broadest gauge in operation in the world. The first railway line built in India was broad gauge line from Bori Bender (now Chhatrapati Shiva Terminus) to Thane in 1853.

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Broad gauge

Suitability;Broad gauge is suitable under the following condition;1, when sufficient funds are available for railway project.2, When the prospect of the revenue are very bright.

This gauge is, therefore, used for tracks in plain areas which are densely populated i-e for routes of maximum traffic, intensities and it place which are centre of industry and commerce.

•Broad gauge refers to any gauge wider than standard gauge or 1,435mm (4ft8½in) •Broad gauge is used to provide better stability and provide the easy transfer of rolling stock.•It is used for main cities and routes of heavy intensities

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Metre gaugeWhen the clear horizontal distance between

the inner faces of two parallel rails forming a track is 1000mm,the gauge is known as metre gauge (M.G)

The other countries using metre gauge is France, Switzerland, Argentine , etc. 40% of the Pakistan Railway laid to this gauge.

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Metre gaugeSuitability;Metre gauge is suitable under following

condition;1, When the funds available for the railway

project are inadequate.2, when the prospects of revenue are not very

bright.

This gauge is, therefore, used for tracks in under developing areas and in interior areas.

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Narrow gauge When the clear horizontal distance between

the inner faces of two parallel rails forming a track is either 762mm or 610mm, the gauge is simply known as narrow gauge.

The other countries using narrow gauge are Britain, South Africa, India, etc, 10% of Pakistan’s railway tracks have been laid to this gauge.

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Narrow gaugeSuitability;Narrow gauge is suitable under the following condition;1, when the construction of track with wider gauge is

prohibited due to the provision of sharp curves, steep gradient, narrow Bridges an tunnels etc.

2, When the prospects of revenue are not very bright . This gauge is , therefore, used in hilly and very thinly populated areas. The feeder gauge is commonly used for feeding raw materials to big government manufacturing concerns as well as to provide factories such as private factories such as steel plant, oil refineries , sugar factories, etc

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Uniformity in gauges;One country should have one gauge

throughout its various parts.

But the policy of Pakistan and its topographical, geological and financial condition have led to adopt various gauge in its different parts.

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Advantages Of Breaking The Gauge;

The most effective advantage of breaking the gauge is to render the railway an economical and profitable concern.

It facilitates the provision of a steeper gradient, sharp curves and narrow tunnels by adopting a less wide gauge in hilly and rocky areas.

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Disadvantages Of Breaking The Gauge

1,it causes much inconvenience to the passenger while changing the train at station, with change of gauge.

2,it causes delay in movement of people and goods.

3,It result in wastage of time.4,It involves extra labor for loading and unloading

the goods. The goods are also likely to be damaged or dislocated at the junction station, having change of gauge.

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Disadvantages Of Breaking The Gauge

5, it requires the provision of extra and costly transshipment yards, sheds, etc. at every junction station having change of gauge.

6, It causes extreme difficulty in quick movement of military and ammunition during war days.

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Loading gaugeA loading gauge defines the maximum height

and with of railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures.

The loading gauge determine the sizes of passenger trains and the size of shipping containers that can be conveyed on a section of railway line and varies across the world and often within a single railway station.

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