Damage Analysis of the Eifel Route Railroad Infrastructure After the Flash Flood Event in July 2021 in Western Germany

Extreme rainfall events characterized by small catchments with high-velocity flows pose critical challenges to infrastructure resilience, particularly the rail infrastructure, due to its partial location near rivers and in mountainous regions, and the limited availability of alternative routes. This can lead to severe damages, often resulting in long-term route closures. To mitigate flash flood damage, detailed information about affected structures and damage processes is necessary. Therefore, this study presents a newly developed multi-criteria flash flood damage assessment framework for the rail infrastructure and a QGIS-based analysis of the most frequent damages. Applying the framework to Eifel route damages in Western Germany after the July 2021 flood disaster shows that nearly 45% of the damages affected the track superstructure, especially tracks and bedding. Additionally, power supply systems, sealing and drainage systems, as well as railway overpasses or bridges, were impacted. Approximately 30% of the railway section showed washout of ballast, gravel and soil. In addition, deposit of wood or stones occurred. Most damages were classified as minor (47%) or moderate (34%). Furthermore, damaged track sections were predominantly located within a 50 m distance to the Urft river, whereas undamaged track sections are often located at a greater distance to the Urft river. These findings indicate that the proposed framework is highly applicable to assess and classify damages. Critical elements and relations could be identified and can help to adapt standards and regulations, as well as to develop preventive measures in the next step.