Securing Rail Infrastructure in Romania-Paper

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The paper describes slope-stabilization work on a 48-kilometre section of Romania’s Campina–Predeal railway, part of the TEN-T network. Awarded in 2007 to Austrian contractor PORR, the project addressed hazards including rockfall and slope failure.<br /><br />The original design relied on concrete slabs, prestressed anchors and shotcrete, and limited protection to a 12-metre strip on either side of the track. After site investigations showed that the tender design did not adequately reflect local conditions or the wider hazard area, PORR and designer IB-Brandner proposed a more adaptable alternative. It combined high-performance nets secured with soil nails, erosion-control measures, drainage and rockfall fences.<br /><br />Design involved field surveys, assessment of subsurface and hydrological conditions, and local and global stability analyses under Eurocodes. Rockfall modelling informed the height and protection capacity of fences. The design was then developed with the client and its Romanian designer for approval and construction.<br /><br />Works took place from September 2009 to September 2011, with winter breaks. Crews installed 39,630 metres of nails, 26,400 square metres of high-performance netting, 760 metres of drainage drillings and 720 metres of rockfall fences. The project cost approximately €9.46 million. Poor coordination with excavation work left some slopes exposed to heavy rain, causing local failures that required repairs and additional drainage.<br /><br />The authors conclude that net-and-nail systems offer a flexible, sustainable and environmentally considerate alternative for stabilizing soil and rock slopes. Successful delivery depends on experienced design, skilled workmanship, coordination between construction activities and clients’ recognition that natural hazards may extend beyond narrowly defined protection zones. Combined solutions can help balance safety with cost. The project was recognized by the European Commission as its best environmentally co-financed infrastructure project.
Keywords
slope stabilization
Romania railway
rockfall protection
soil nails
high-performance nets
drainage
Eurocodes
PORR
railway infrastructure
environmental sustainability