The Permanent Way department’s services include:

• Alignment (geometric) design
• Track structure design (substructureand superstructure) with both being responsible for the support of rail vehicles

Civil works are limited to those directly affecting the railway line and primarily involves mass earthworks and bridges or large culvert structures. Product loading structures/platforms are also included within the civil works undertaken during the design process.

As such, the permanent way design solution is an integrated balance between spatial constraints, operational requirements, routing, alignment and structural design.

As a subdivision within the design process, the permanent way department impacts, and is impacted by, the partner railway disciplines of Train Operations, Rolling Stock, Overhead Track Equipment (OHTE) and Signalling to produce a system design that will meet the broader needs of the rail logistics solution.

At R&H, we pride ourselves on using contemporary design tools that are compatible across multiple areas and forums. This allows simple transfer and receipt of information with allied work streams on larger projects, and easily integrates multiple data sources into a central repository that forms the basis for the project. We use the following design tools: