ABSTRACT
Mota-Engil Engenharia Deep Foundations Department has executed the slope stabilization works at the Régua - Ferrão section of the Douro railway line - Plot 3, for Infraestruturas de Portugal S.A. The works were consigned by 7th of January 2021, and completed by 10th of October 2022. The intervention area extended over 14 km on the right bank of the Douro River, divided by (10+1) slopes, between Peso da Régua and Ferrão railway stations at the district of Vila Real.The need for intervention on those slopes resulted from geological investigation, a survey of the slopes stability conditions, as well as of the slope areas with the greatest instability potential, combined with the risk factors identified, mainly the distance to the railway line and the boulders fall height, among others, resulted in an effective risk to people and goods including to railway line traffic. This contract covered the following tasks: nailing, nets, cable nets, slope crest drainage, railway line and slopes drainage, ballast guard walls and railway line ballast. Most of the intervened slopes did not have land access, so all the work had to be carried out using railway and river resources at night and under short railway line interdiction periods, resulting in very complex and demanding execution conditions.
