Overview

• Researchers installed rubber underlay sections alongside conventional ballast and monitored vibration, track settlement and ballast degradation under real-world freight loads.
• Field data published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal confirmed that sections with the recycled underlay experienced significantly less ballast degradation and reduced track settlement.
• The patented design uses recycled tyre cells filled with waste materials and rubber grids cast from worn conveyor belts to absorb train loads and protect ballast.
• By spreading loads to deeper subsoils, the underlay prevents ballast pulverisation, which could reduce maintenance costs, minimise track closures and improve service reliability.
• Secured through an Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant, the A$740,000 funding will support expanded trials at bridge approaches, switches and junctions to test performance under harsher conditions.