New material developed for track ballast contains shredded rubber from used tires

Researchers have developed a material that contains shredded rubber from used tires for use in the subballast layer of train tracks. The researchers are from Spain's Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), rail firm AZVI and the University of Seville. The material, combined with crushed stone, has already been used to good effect in asphalt mixtures and roadside embankments. However, its use in the rail sector is relatively unexplored.