First trials on the new high-speed railroad
South-Europe-Atlantique (SEA) high-speed line (LGV) linking the
city of Tours to Bordeaux have begun and speed will increase up to 352
km/h over the next days on one of the Reinforced Earth® structures supporting
a track, where commercial speed of trains will reach 320 km/hr.
Indeed, for research and development purposes,
a Reinforced Earth® wall which support a track which will be trafficked
with speeds up to 352 km/h (at the time of speed trials before the commercial
opening of the line) was instrumented in collaboration with IFSTTAR (The
French institute of science and technology for transport, development and
networks), to enable a better understanding of the diffusion of dynamic
stresses within the structure during the passage of trains.
In addition to the reduction of costs and faster operation,
this type of construction offers a proven compatibility with the dynamic
stresses introduced by the passage of trains.
Opening of the tracks is planned for 2017.
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