Investigation of Adequacy of Light Rail Systems Route İn Erzurum Province İn Terms of Ground Safety

Abstract

Many developed and developing countries use rail systems in addition to road systems in public transportation. One of the most frequently used types of these rail systems is the light rail systems (LRS). The routes of the LRS are generally preferred on the existing road route. This situation creates some problems in terms of ground conditions. Since the rail system vehicle weights and passenger capacities are much more than road vehicles, the loads they apply to the ground are also higher. However, deformations occurring on the road surface generally affect vehicles and passengers in terms of comfort, while small deformations on rail systems can bring major problems such as accidents and deaths. For this purpose, it is very important to investigate the ground structure of the rail system route and to analyze the suitability situation in order to prevent these problems. In this study, the suitability of the LRS route planned to be built in the city center of Erzurum in terms of physical properties of soil was analyzed. In the analysis, it was suggested that some locations were problematic in the results obtained by using the basic rotary drilling, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), and microtremor methods and ground improvement or revision of the route was suggested for these points. Where the ground condition is not suitable, an alternative route has been created by taking passenger's demand into consideration. © 2021, TMMOB Chamber of Geological Engineers. All rights reserved.