Assessment of Snow Drifting Hazard along Railway A Case Study of JYH Railway in Xinjiang, China

Snow drifting is a typical disaster which blocks traffic lines in cold regions. The occurrence of snow drifting disaster is frequently influenced by topography, but the original topography is transformed to some extent owing to the construction of railway, and the wind flow field of this region thus changed, moreover, the accumulated region of drifting snow and the characteristics of its distribution changes correspondingly. Taking the DK174-184 section of Jinghe-Yining-Huocheng (JYH) railway under construction in Xinjiang for example, an AHP model has been constructed to assess snow drifting hazard along railway after considering the relation between its forming, moving and terrain, ground feature; furthermore, this model has been applied to determine the weights of assessment factors. With the support of GIS, a comprehensive assessment has been conducted. The results agree with the actual situation on the whole, and which can offer scientific references for the prevention and control of snow drifting disaster. This method also provides new ideas for the assessment of snow drifting hazard.