Project

SLOPES MAINTENANCE MERIDA-LOS ROSALES LINE

CLIENT ADIF
SERVICE Detail design and technical assistance
DATE 2009
LOCATION Spain

For this ADIF project, the actions carried out were aimed at halting and correcting the evolution of the defined processes, increasing the safety threshold against damage caused by them and facilitating conservation and cleaning work for ADIF maintenance personnel, facilitating access and, therefore, making it easier to clean the facilities.

Taking into account the limitations imposed by access and rail traffic, a series of general recommendations were made when carrying out the work:

  • The work should be carried out by specialized personnel, or at least, accustomed to this type of intervention, having specialized machinery for railway work.
  • To carry out an adequate technical control whose task and functions were to establish the correct application of the methods described, to provide solutions for unforeseen problems that could be discovered and to carry out control determinations that would allow refining and specifying some of the units on site.
  • To carry out tests and trials of the units to be executed on site to refine and specify their execution.

 

In the range of correction and improvement of the current section, the actions to be carried out were grouped into the following types:

Adequacy, sanitation and cleaning: actions were considered for the adequacy of the project area prior to the execution of the works, in such a way as to obtain the aforementioned objectives.

  • Stakeout of services, facilities, work limits and actions.
  • Adequacy and cleaning of the work area, as well as removal of work.
  • Cleaning of the slope surface and removal of rocky blocks.
  • Clearing of rooting shrub and woody vegetation on the slope surface.

 

Containment: It was considered that the most effective way to eliminate the risks derived from falls and landslides is to prevent them from occurring, as previously arranged, by placing flexible meshes reinforced with horizontal cables or cable nets, tensioned at their ends and anchored in a grid of greater intensity than the present one. Prior to the start of these actions and once the reclamation works have been completed, the D.O. will check the state of the surface of the slopes and will redefine the actions for the installation of the containment measures.

  • Bolting and solidification of unstable blocks.
  • Supply, transport, staking out and placement of guide mesh.
  • Supply, transport, staking out and placement of steel cable reinforced guide mesh.
  • Supply, transport, staking out and installation of wire mesh reinforced with cable netting.