Marl embankments on the Moroccan Fez-Taza railway line: Catalyst/trigger instability analysis and solutions
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Full Text |
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Author |
Othmane Hniad, Tarik El Bahlouli and Jamila El Brahmi
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e-ISSN |
1819-6608 |
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On Pages
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1450-1461
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Volume No. |
20
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Issue No. |
17
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Issue Date |
December 15, 2025
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.59018/0925165
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Keywords |
railroad, marl, embankments, stability, deformation, safety factor, catalyst, trigger.
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Abstract
The Moroccan railroad connecting the cities of Fez and Taza, east of the country, is located on a corridor with a relatively affordable topography, but its soil is primarily marl formations. Since the embankments supporting the track are made of reused local materials, several signs of deterioration were observed on some of these structures after years of operation. Observations made during on-site visits range from minor deformations of track-related operating elements to disturbances in rail leveling, forcing a substantial drop in train speeds and urgent interventions to correct said levels. Three specific points on this railway were this study’s focus, which are the kilometric points KP8+600, KP38+700, and KP52+900. The numbers indicate their distance from the city of Fez. Our study, whose objective is to find solutions that are both sustainable and non-restrictive to operations, was based on an instability catalyst/trigger approach, in which predisposing factors and a triggering event were precisely identified for each of the cases studied based on our observations. This approach put forth solutions that were adequate for each of the aforementioned locations. Stability was evaluated through safety factor calculus before and after incorporation of the solution, confirming both the improvement and the satisfactory level of security newly obtained. A deformation assessment was also conducted before and after implementing said solutions. Obtained values were within the admissible range in all three cases. The improved structures’ satisfactory safety and the deformations obtained for the proposed solutions validated the catalyst/trigger approach as a better method for solving problems related to earthworks instability compared to the use of conventional resolving methods, which can prove both inefficient and unsustainable.
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