2026
Railway Engineering
Compendium
Foreword
This compendium is prepared for students in the railway engineering courses TBM4282 Road and Railway Engineering 1 and TBA4225 Railway Engineering 2 at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Its aim is to bring the course material together in one coherent book, giving students a structured overview of railway infrastructure—from traffic loading and track components to geometry, capacity, signalling, maintenance, and railway-specific environmental effects.
The present edition builds on course material developed and delivered over several years. The contributions of Alf Helge Løhren, John Våge, Kjell Arne Skoglund, Thomas Vatn Bjørge, Trine Sage Bye, and Christian Knittler are gratefully acknowledged. Their teaching material, practical examples, figures, photographs, and illustrations have contributed substantially to the development of the compendium. The text is also informed by established railway engineering books, standards, technical references, and examples from practice.
Codex, ChatGPT, and Claude have been used as supporting tools for language checking, editorial consistency, technical review, document refinement, visual layout review, and selected visual generation.
This compendium will continue to be refined as the courses develop, as standards change, and as new examples become available. Feedback from students, colleagues, and industry partners is therefore an important part of improving both the technical accuracy and the readability of the material.
Albert LauAssociate professor, Dr. Ing.Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
The compendium
Chapters
Railway Traffic Loading
How traffic loads enter the railway and spread through rail, sleepers, ballast, and formation.
→ 02FoundationsTrack Superstructure
Rails, fastening systems, sleepers, and slab track as one load-bearing assembly.
→ 03FoundationsBallast
Why ballast shape, grading, depth, drainage, and maintenance determine track quality.
→ 04FoundationsTrack Substructure
Tunnels, cuttings, embankments, slopes, frost protection, and drainage below the track.
→ 05Design & performanceGeometric Design of Track Systems
Curves, cant, transitions, gradients, and vertical alignment.
→ 06Design & performanceRailway Operation and Capacity
Headways, capacity, timetable robustness, and delay propagation.
→ 07Design & performanceTrain–Track Interaction
The coupled vehicle–track system, dynamic response, resonance, and load amplification.
→ 08Design & performanceWheel–Rail Interaction
Contact geometry, forces, adhesion, wear, rolling contact fatigue, and stability.
→ 09Design & performanceContinuously Welded Track
Thermal forces, neutral temperature, buckling resistance, and safe CWR management.
→ 10Design & performanceRailway Noise and Vibration
Sources, propagation, measurement, assessment, and mitigation.
→ 11Railway systemsSignal and Interlocking System
Train detection, movement authority, interlocking, block systems, and ERTMS.
→ 12Railway systemsStructure Gauge
The spatial envelopes that keep vehicles, infrastructure, platforms, and loads compatible.
→ 13Railway systemsRailway Catenary System
Traction power, overhead-line geometry, current collection, and electrical interfaces.
→ 14Railway systemsSwitches and Crossings
Turnout geometry, components, forces, layouts, inspection, and special trackwork.
→ 15Asset lifecycleTrack Damage and Defects
Defect mechanisms, inspection evidence, risk, and intervention priorities.
→ 16Asset lifecycleRailway Track Maintenance
Inspection, tamping, grinding, renewal planning, possessions, and asset care.
→ 17Asset lifecycleRailway Machinery
Machines, work sequences, production constraints, and quality checks behind track work.
→Daily railway podcasts
Railway podcasts in Norwegian and English are generated every day using an AI-assisted production workflow. They are intended mainly for my students, as well as railway professionals and general listeners who are curious about how railways work. Both railway podcasts are available on Spotify.
Railway Daily
A daily railway story in English for students, engineers, and curious listeners.
Jernbane daglig
En daglig jernbanehistorie for studenter, fagfolk og nysgjerrige lyttere.
Contact
Albert Lau
Associate professor, Dr. Ing. · Railway Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Gløshaugen, Trondheim