Transition Between Ballasted and Ballastless Track-Forms

The track¿s ballasted superstructure is a multilayered construction consisting of several constitutive layers. In the Slab track for High-speed lines, a concrete slab replaced the ballast. Transition zones between ballasted track and Slab track system suffer early failure due to poor interaction between rail vehicles and sudden changes of stiffness. This has been an ongoing problem to rail industry and yet still no systematic studies appear to have been taken to maintain a gradually smoothening transmission of forces. Differential settlement between the ballasted track and slab track in the transition zone is the fundamental issue, which negatively impacts the rail industry by causing passenger discomfort, early damage to infrastructure and vehicle components, speed reduction, and frequent maintenance cycles.