A new paper has been published!

Track stability is a big topic in railway engineering — and it’s not always addressed correctly. With our latest research, we’re trying to bring a bit more clarity to this area by looking specifically at how lateral wheelset forces affect track buckling behaviour.

Read more in our new peer-reviewed open-access paper in Machines (Authors: Roman Schmid, Faris Karic, Martin Leitner, Ferdinand Pospischil): “Influence of Lateral Wheelset Force on Track Buckling Behaviour”


Key takeaway: The critical buckling temperature remains unchanged even when lateral wheelset forces are increased up to 4× the Prud’homme limit — supporting the view that this criterion is not safety-relevant for track buckling.

This project is part of a PhD project at the Institute of Railway Infrastructure Design, together with our partners Institute of Structural Durability and Railway Technology and Öbb Infrastruktur AG — collaborating within the Research Cluster Railway Systems (RCRS).

24.02.2026

Strategy Retreat & Plant Visits

We are celebrating 5 years of the Institute of Institute of Railway Infrastructure Design @ TU Graz 
This milestone gave us the perfect opportunity not only to reflect on our journey so far, but also to actively shape our future direction. During our strategy retreat, we focused on the further development of the institute, with particular emphasis on:
• Introducing new teaching content aligned with current industry needs
• Making full use of our new laboratory facilities
• Strengthening our in-track measurement systems
• Further expanding our simulation capabilities to enhance research and education
To start the day with energy and team spirit, we kicked things off with a morning team run.
The retreat was framed by inspiring visits to SEMPERIT AG, Kirchdorfer Concrete Solutions, and TSF-A (a joint venture of Kirchdorfer Concrete Solutions and voestalpine Railway Systems). We had discussions on innovation and were given impressive plant tours — many thanks to Marius Steiner and Gerhard Rinnhofer for the warm welcome and valuable exchange!
A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to shaping the past five years — and to those who will help drive the exciting path ahead.
Let’s continue building the future of railway infrastructure — together.
#TUGraz #RCRS #Railway #Research #Laboratory #simulation #intrackmeasurement

17.02.2026

RID @ WCRR & IHHA 2025

While Francesco Marangon, Gernot Grohs, Michael Höfler, Thomas Gabernig and myself are presenting our findings in multiple session at World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) 2025 and INTERNATIONAL HEAVY HAUL ASSOCIATION in Colorado Springs, the other part of the team installs measurements in the ÖBB network to evaluate isulated joints. Ready for new findings.
Institute of Railway Infrastructure Design @ TU Graz, Technische Universität Graz

 

02.12.2025