| Issue |
E3S Web Conf.
Volume 730, 2026
International Conference on Advances and Innovations in Soft Soil Engineering (Soft Soils 2026)
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 03010 | |
| Number of page(s) | 8 | |
| Section | Constitutive, Numerical, and Machine Learning Models | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202673003010 | |
| Published online | 03 August 2026 | |
Soft soils under the Swiss railway network
1 Swiss Federal Railways, Infrastructure, Track bed, Bern, Switzerland
2 Geoprofile, Ground Investigation, Adligenswil, Switzerland
* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract
Switzerland is best known for its mountains and hard rock, but far less for its soft soils, despite being an integral part of glacial geology. The Swiss railway network was constructed in the 19th century following the recommendation to build the tracks on valley floors where soft soil is present. Whilst satisfactory back then, it is a challenge. The Swiss Federal Railways have approx. 15% of the network on soft soils, and these locations need to be regularly explored and verified. This paper explains how these soils can be identified and then illustrates several unusual cases found in the network.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2026
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