Research and Development Trends in Restoration Technologies for Railway Bridges and Viaducts Developed by the Railway Technical Research Institute

Abstract

The construction of many railway structures predates those for roads. Yet, up until today they have continued to enable safe and stable railway operations, thanks to good maintenance management. This means that even on major lines, some structures have an age exceeding 70 years. While there is high demand for railway structure repair and reinforcement technology, restoration technologies including for functional improvements are also needed. This paper therefore gives an overview of the current state of railway bridges and viaducts and introduces recent research and development trends in restoration technology for bridges and viaducts developed by the Railway Technical Research Institute.