How Do Embankments by Rail Tracks and Highways Help?

There are several motivating factors behind the development of embankments by the side of busy roads and railways. Let’s discuss a few:

10:33 08 May 2024

As you marvel at the beauty of the landscape you travel past on the train or sit in despair, bored at the excessive traffic on the highway preventing you from getting home on time; it can be easy to ignore or miss the importance of the embankments that sit by the side of roads and rail tracks.

Let’s learn more about the engineered structure on the side of transport routes and understand their taken-for-granted role in ensuring the safety and smooth functioning of our everyday lives.

What are Embankments? 

Contrary to the belief of many child passengers on train journeys, embankments by the side of the railway line aren’t convenient slopes that allow a passage through a hill, but a result of careful engineering to ensure safety on railway lines. 

While seemingly natural in appearance, embankments are manufactured for several safety and stability reasons, including the prevention of flooding leaking onto transport links.

Embankments vary in scale depending on the severity of the challenges the local climate proposes. The world’s biggest embankment is Aswan High, protecting neighbouring roads from the potential flooding caused by the river Nile in Egypt. The Aswan High was one of the most sophisticated engineering projects of the 20th Century and stands 111 metres tall.

However, most embankments surrounding the railway tracks and highways in Britain are no bigger than a few metres tall. 

Why are Embankments Useful?

There are several motivating factors behind the development of embankments by the side of busy roads and railways. Let’s discuss a few:

1. They Help to Control Floods: As previously alluded to, the construction of embankments is vital for the prevention of flooding. Their design enables transport links to be elevated above the surrounding terrain, meaning rain runs off the side. Moreover, Proper drainage systems integrated into embankments ensure that water flows away from the transportation corridor, enhancing its resilience to adverse weather conditions.
2. They Limit Erosion: After years of harsh weather conditions, it’s inevitable that erosion eventually catches up with all outdoor structures, but embankments help limit the extent. By confining the flow of water and stabilising the soil, embankments minimise soil erosion caused by rain, wind, or the passage of vehicles. Furthermore, vegetation can also be planted on embankments to further enhance their erosion control capabilities and promote environmental sustainability.

What are the Main Alternatives to Embankments? 

Sustained advancements in geotechnical understandings have resulted in several other techniques used to limit the extent of flooding and erosion on railway tracks and highways. 

For example, eco-friendly precast flood defence walls are increasingly being used to cancel out the effects of weathering on transport passages. Companies such as UK-based JP Concrete provide high-quality, cost-effective flood walls that have an estimated lifespan of over 100 years.

Meanwhile, major British brand, Network Rail, have recently installed predictive technology designed to prevent flooding on railway tracks as part of its TrackWater project. The project will see railway drainage systems instantaneously react to changes in weather conditions and future forecasting to better protect railway lines from flooding and erosion.