About This Course

Water is one of the most damaging and underestimated threats to track stability and long-term performance. Poor drainage leads to ballast fouling, subgrade weakening, pumping, geometry deformation, rapid deterioration of sleepers and fastenings, and—in severe cases—foundation instability and operational safety risks. This course provides a clear, practical understanding of how water moves through and around the track structure, how drainage failures develop, and how to design, maintain, and rehabilitate effective drainage systems for different environments including open track, tunnels, cuttings, embankments, viaducts, and embedded track. Learners explore surface and subsurface drainage components, geotextiles, ditching strategies, culverts, cross-falls, waterproofing interfaces, seasonal effects, and the link between water management and geometry retention. Real-life good and bad practices from metro, high-speed, freight, tram, and heavy-haul systems are integrated throughout, delivered by experts deeply involved in track drainage assessment and remediation from technical, operational, and commercial perspectives. Ideal for track and civil engineers, maintenance teams, QA/QC specialists, project managers, procurement professionals, sales teams in geotechnical and drainage solutions, and students in civil, geotechnical, and transportation engineering, this course equips participants to diagnose water-related risks, compare drainage technologies, plan corrective measures, and ensure long-term safety and resilience of the railway.