Geosynthetics June/July 2021 - 21

Conclusion
The NPA geocell-reinforced design of
the railway embankment proved to be
a successful solution for maintaining
and strengthening the railway structure.
In this project, it allowed the railway
that was nonoperational for almost two
years to start up operations again within
a short time frame after the rehabilitation
work started. The time required for
construction was enough to repair the
washout location, because half of the
granular infill material was taken from
the washout location itself, a fact made
possible by the geocell reinforcement.
The geocell reinforcement controlled
lateral movement of subballast, which
was a poorly graded, sandy pit run gravel,
and controlled the settlement and damage
to the permafrost. It also controlled
the erosion of the embankment slopes.
The design saved construction time and
money. Based on more than two years of
operation of the railway line, this article
also recommends this design as a viable
method for future transportation infrastructure
development in the permafrost
region and other similar areas.
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