GEOPIER IS GROUND IMPROVEMENT®

The Geopier GeoSpike system is a low-cost method for strengthening weak railroad track subgrades. Our system creates strong elements in weak subgrade soils, and are installed without removing railroad tracks, ties or ballast. The pre-manufactured polymer shells are driven in pairs between rail ties at regular intervals. The expanded top of the shell compresses between ties during insertion and expands back to its original shape after clearing the rail ties to allow for efficient load transfer from the ballast to the GeoSpike system.

  • Minimize down time
  • Strengthen railway subgrades
  • Decrease permanent track deflection
Due to the frequency of reballasting and subgrade repairs, Canadian National chose the Geopier GeoSpike℠  system to remediate an 180 feet section of track. This section had chronic settlement and deflection issues resulting from very soft wet subgrade conditions below the ballast. Deflection monitoring of this track section showed that more than 3 inches of deflection had occurred since the previous repair. The soil stratigraphy below the track structure consists of a mixed ballast and soils stratum 4.5 to 6 feet thick, overlying a medium stiff clay deposit becoming stiff to very stiff at depths of 6.5 to 10 feet.

The Geopier GeoSpike system was chosen for this project to reinforce the subgrade using 4 to 6 foot GeoSpike elements were installed 1 to 2 feet below the bottom of the existing ties. The GeoSpike elements were installed between the rails in pairs and spaced at every other tie. More than 120 GeoSpikes were installed with a hi-rail mounted excavator without removing track, ties, or ballast in less than 2 days. Tie deflections were reduced by 60% after GeoSpike Installations.

This summer I spent a few days in Zion Canyon, Utah. It’s a beautiful place carved into a seemingly lifeless desert. I think of the pioneers that first saw Zion and what their life was life back then: the brazen forays of the early adventurers giving way to paths, then roads, then settlements with churches and general stores filled with those things needed to sustain those traveling through. The company stores were brick and mortar affairs (or perhaps timber and adobe) owned and operated by moms-and-pops (I think of the TV character “Mr. Oleson”) eventually selling out to regional then national concerns when their “juniors” opted to ply another profession. The national stores with names like “Woolworths” and “JC Penney” occupied spaces with newer constructions, now steel framed, replete with nice carpeting and fluorescent lighting. Yet, these places were the natural extension of the moms-and-pops, carrying inventory and filling shelves with items deemed necessary by those purchasing. And so it has been for decades upon centuries and continues…until now. 
Attending the Rail Interchange on September 22-25 in Minneapolis, MN?

As a first time exhibitor, Geopier is breaking out the bells and the whistles. Save your track and some money - visit Geopier Booth #1744 . And while you are there, visit Tensar Booth #1742 . Test your rail smarts and play the Tensar Trivia Challenge for a chance to win a YETI prize pack!
Geopier Foundation Company
130 Harbour Place Drive, Suite 280
Davidson, NC 28036
T. (800) 371-7470 | (704) 439-1790
F. (704) 439-1799