PUEBLO, Colo. – Testing is underway on two 250-foot-long sections of slab track developed under Portland Cement Association's "Cooperative Concrete Slab Track Research and Demonstration Program for Shared Freight and High Speed Passenger Service." Initial results confirm that slab track can be constructed to the strict tolerances required by high-speed rail and support heavy axle freight loads.

Over a two-year period, the two test sections will be subjected to 100 million gross tons of heavy axle (39 ton) loads. The goal of the program is to design, construct, and test a safe and durable track system that will support heavy axle freight loads while maintaining the tolerances required for FRA Class 9 high-speed rail.

The concrete slab track tests are being performed on the High Tonnage Loop of the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colo. TTC, the largest railroad test facility in the world, is owned by the Federal Railroad Administration and is operated by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The Federal Railroad Administration is providing funding for the project.

Widely used in Europe and Japan, slab track connects track to a concrete slab instead of with traditional ties and ballast. Recent research from PCA reports that slab track prevents sun or heat kink, the buckling of track in hot weather. In cold weather, contraction causes welds in traditional tracks to pull apart, creating safety and maintenance concerns. Slab track prevents these concerns.

Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.

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