Reinforced Soil System for Railways at USBRL Project in Jammu

Maccaferri’s sustainable civil engineering solutions were implemented at locations 40, 41, 42, and 43 of the USBRL project.

The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project was undertaken by the Government of India to connect Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country.  This 272 km long railway project, which connects Udhampur to Baramulla, will reduce travel time between Srinagar and Jammu from six hours to a mere 3.5 hours. It is considered one of the most challenging railway projects in the Indian subcontinent.

Maccaferri provided a flexible hybrid reinforced soil (RS) structure for railways at locations 40, 41, 42, and 43 of the USBRL project. Bridges 40, 41, and 42 were constructed to support the railway embankment / formation, whereas bridge 43 to support one of the abutments of Chenab bridge. This a first time Indian railways used reinforced soil system for such height. Maccaferri’s geosynthetic solutions were adopted over conventional solutions as they are sustainable and economical. Around 3 lakh cubic meters of tunnel muck, a site-won waste from tunnel excavation, was used to build the reinforced soil (RS) structure instead of concrete, which has helped in reducing carbon emissions and cutting costs by up to 50 percent.

At all the three bridge structures, Terramesh reinforced soil system with gabion facia was provided at the bottom portion and the rest of the structure height with a Green Terramesh system with green facia. To promote vegetation growth, hydro mulching was carried out on the green facia. Drainage geocomposite (MacDrain) was used for sub surface drainage optimizing the use of gravel. Reno Mattress was used at the base of the structure for erosion control.

Read more about our retaining walls solutions by clicking on the link:  https://www.maccaferri.com/in/applications/retaining-walls-soil-reinforcement/ or write us at [email protected]