With increasing extreme weather, drainage is becoming critical to the stability of the railway. In recent years, Railcare has seen an increased demand for drainage and assessments for culverts and trenches, for example.
Marcus Näslund, Project Manager at Trafikverket, has noticed that the facilities are exposed to more stress.
‘We have seen that drainage of the embankment is a good maintenance measure to improve the track situation in the long term. In recent years, we have also noticed that the drainage system along the railway is receiving a greater volume of water. These water volumes in turn lead to challenges in the form of increased runoff and increased risk of flooding and landslides,’ says Marcus and continues:
‘To avoid natural disasters, on or near the railway, it is important to have a well-functioning drainage system.
Just as the need for maintenance on the railway is generally high, drainage, trench cleaning and culverts are also in great need of renovation. Andreas Larsson, Operations Manager at Railcare Lining, explains:
‘It is often said that the drainage system is undersized, but we see that it is possible to achieve very good results by maintaining the existing system, where many culverts and trenches are currently clogged or overgrown.
A good example of this is Trafikverket’s investment in the Dalabanan, where drainage was part of the upgrading of the railway. When parts of the railway were subjected to severe stress in 2023, surrounding roads and communities were flooded, but the railway survived surprisingly well thanks to preventive drainage measures.
‘On the Dalabanan, Railcare helped us carry out condition assessments of culverts and wells, and then we worked together to identify the most effective measures. The aim has been to restore the function of culverts, drains and trenches,’ says Marcus Näslund and concludes:
‘There is no shortage of challenges when restoring an old facility, but Railcare has been a good partner in this. Their expertise in drainage and their attitude that no task is impossible has meant that we cut the schedule considerably and that today we have a drainage facility on the Dalabanan that will work for many years to come.
