Railway Engineering

Railways are today in a period of restructuring. New high speed tracks are constructed and old tracks are renewed, high comfort rolling stock vehicles are introduced and logistics and combined transport are developed. Awareness of environmental issues, daily highway and airport congestion, and the search for greater safety during the last decade, have given railways a new role within the transport system. Meanwhile, methods of analysis have significantly evolved and the use of computer applications has changed old railway methods and technologies. Perhaps the only common feature between the railway of the year 2000 and the railway of the 1960s is that both use tracks, but with totally different technology and design. This book is aimed at railway engineers, consulting engineers and students of engineering. It is intended to provide them with a concise and useful synopsis of railway technology and the scientific analyses that they will need in their daily scientific work or during studies. Each chapter contains a concise theoretical analysis of the phenomena studied and applications, charts and design for specific railway components.