A new approach to estimate the wind speed probability distribution along a railway track based on international standards

The plan to establish a European market for railway services and equipment requires technical regulations for interoperability. One topic to be regulated is the safety of railway operation under crosswind conditions. For this a method is necessary for categorising high-speed tracks with respect to their wind exposure. This method has to be simple and robust, and it has to be applicable to all European countries. The method presented here is based on available and reviewed wind data and on procedures described in the Eurocode and other standards. The new approach is compared to the well-established German method which has been used in the past for all high-speed lines in Germany.