A railroad track circuit determines occupancy status of a portion of a railroad track, and includes: a track including first and second rails; a transmitter including first and second connection terminals to generate a voltage between connection terminals; and first and second receiver units, each including first and second measurement terminals, the first and second receiver units measuring voltage between first and second measurement terminals. The output connection terminals of the transmitter connect to the respective rails at a first connection location, using first and second cables. The first measurement terminal of the first receiver unit is connected to the first rail at a second connection location, using a third cable and the first measurement terminal of the second receiver unit is connected to the first rail at a third location, using a fourth cable, the second and third locations forming respectively first and second boundaries of the track circuit.

A railway geogrid construction is suitable for use with high speed trains to mitigate the increased impact of Rayleigh waves generated at high speed and/or over soft subgrades. The construction includes a track bed which defines a track located on a track plane, a mass of particulate material such as an aggregate forming a layer located beneath the track plane, and a geogrid located in and/or below the particulate mass in a geogrid plane substantially parallel to the track plane where the average distance between the track plane and geogrid plane, measured perpendicular to both, is greater than 0.65 metres.

A railway geogrid construction is suitable for use with high speed trains to mitigate the increased impact of Rayleigh waves generated at high speed and/or over soft subgrades. The construction includes a track bed which defines a track located on a track plane, a mass of particulate material such as an aggregate forming a layer located beneath the track plane, and a geogrid located in and/or below the particulate mass in a geogrid plane substantially parallel to the track plane where the average distance between the track plane and geogrid plane, measured perpendicular to both, is greater than 0.65 metres.

A ground rail transfer device includes: a support rail provided on the ground and used for unloading a vertical load of a bogie in a rail vehicle; a guide rail provided on the ground and used for driving the bogie to perform a rail transfer operation; and a transition plate provided on the ground and located between a first rail and a second rail which are different in a gauge; wherein a difference between the top surface height of the transition plate and the top surface height of the first rail is equal to a distance between a wheel rim vertex circle and a wheel tread of the rail vehicle.

A ground rail transfer device includes: a support rail provided on the ground and used for unloading a vertical load of a bogie in a rail vehicle; a guide rail provided on the ground and used for driving the bogie to perform a rail transfer operation; and a transition plate provided on the ground and located between a first rail and a second rail which are different in a gauge; wherein a difference between the top surface height of the transition plate and the top surface height of the first rail is equal to a distance between a wheel rim vertex circle and a wheel tread of the rail vehicle.

Method for the aluminothermic welding of rails, involving the steps of: triggering an aluminothermic reaction in a crucible, pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the mold so as to fill the molding cavity from the rail flange, after filling the cavity, triggering a second aluminothermic reaction above the rail head, and pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the cavity in the region of the rail head. The mold used in the method is designed to fit over the ends of two rails to form a molding cavity comprising a crucible positioned above the rail head region so that it can be fed with molten metal of the cavity via a secondary passage.

Method for the aluminothermic welding of rails, involving the steps of: triggering an aluminothermic reaction in a crucible, pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the mold so as to fill the molding cavity from the rail flange, after filling the cavity, triggering a second aluminothermic reaction above the rail head, and pouring the metal resulting from said reaction into the cavity in the region of the rail head. The mold used in the method is designed to fit over the ends of two rails to form a molding cavity comprising a crucible positioned above the rail head region so that it can be fed with molten metal of the cavity via a secondary passage.

A method for enabling elevated trains to travel both above as well as below a vertically-tiered pair of tracks by having wheels both in the upper and lower area of the train with the ability to switch from traveling on the upper tracks using lower wheels to traveling on the lower track using tipper wheels, where the said method of switching between upper and lower tracks enables trains to be moved between multiple levels serving as passing loops as well as vertical depots.

A new type of railway sleeper is composed of fiber-stabilized stoneware. By using a plurality of fiber-layered stone plates bonded to one another in such a way that prestress is generated in the stoneware, a permanently high-performance-capable sleeper is obtained, which is made of natural materials such as granite or basalt which occur almost everywhere on the earth in unlimited quantities and have a substantially longer service life and are substantially more resistant to influences of the weather and the environment than previous solutions. In addition, the sleeper or the intermediate spaces thereof are equipped with photovoltaic modules which together form a power unit when they are coupled together and connected electrically to the rails. Such sleepers can also be partially hollow as a light weight design variant. Lightweight variants with a hollow profile can be filled entirely or partially with track ballast from the side during the laying process.

A new type of railway sleeper is composed of fiber-stabilized stoneware. By using a plurality of fiber-layered stone plates bonded to one another in such a way that prestress is generated in the stoneware, a permanently high-performance-capable sleeper is obtained, which is made of natural materials such as granite or basalt which occur almost everywhere on the earth in unlimited quantities and have a substantially longer service life and are substantially more resistant to influences of the weather and the environment than previous solutions. In addition, the sleeper or the intermediate spaces thereof are equipped with photovoltaic modules which together form a power unit when they are coupled together and connected electrically to the rails. Such sleepers can also be partially hollow as a light weight design variant. Lightweight variants with a hollow profile can be filled entirely or partially with track ballast from the side during the laying process.