ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: For a sustainable development in Europe, there is a need to at least double the railway transports in the coming 20 years. In order to reach this, the residual service lives of existing concrete bridges need to be extended, at the same time as they are subjected to higher axle loads, higher railway speeds and heavier traffic intensity. Today, many concrete bridges are replaced or strengthened because their reliability cannot be guaranteed based on the structural assessments made. The aim of the work presented here is to provide enhanced assessment methods that are able to prove higher load carrying capacities and longer fatigue lives for existing concrete railway bridges.
