Seismic Damage Estimation and Database Construction for the Railway Transportation System in Taiwan

Seismic Damage Estimation and Database Construction for the Railway Transportation System in Taiwan

The objective of this study is to evaluate the seismic risk and retrofit feasibility of railway bridges and to improve the safety of the entire railway system for the Taiwan Railways Administration(TRA). The around-Taiwan railway system is a ring network with some branches. It comprises structural elements such as rail tracks, bridges, tunnels, station buildings, and electrical facilities. The railway database was constructed according to structural elements types, and the relevant parameters were adjusted according to actual damage results and earthquake damage assessments of the railway system. Based on the developed seismic scenario simulation technology and refer to the framework of the Thway(TELES for highway system) software, an integrated software(Trail) was developed for application in the estimation of earthquake damage and economic loss for the railway transportation system. The software is primarily used to evaluate railway bridge damage and turnover loss caused by interruptions to railway bridges following an earthquake event.