Banedanmark: Automated mapping of climate risks across the railway network  

Banedanmark manages Denmark’s largest railway network and is therefore responsible for the operation, maintenance and development of the railway infrastructure. With 196 million passengers annually, the railway plays a crucial role in Danish transport and infrastructure. 

Climate change is placing new demands on Danish railway infrastructure. More frequent cloudbursts, more extreme rainfall events and rising shallow groundwater levels increase the risk of flooding, operational disruptions and damage to assets that in many places were established more than 100 years ago. However, the consequences are not only material. Flooding, erosion and asset failures may also affect the safety of people travelling on and around the railway. Early identification of critical risk areas is therefore essential – both to protect the infrastructure and to improve operational and personal safety. 

As Banedanmark is responsible for around 2,000 kilometres of embankments and cuttings as well as 4,250 kilometres of ditches and drains, there is a need to understand the most critical risk areas in order to support the prioritisation of future climate adaptation measures. 

Therefore, Ramboll carried out a climate risk screening of the entire railway network in 2024 in close collaboration with Banedanmark. The results have since been used to prioritise initiatives and determine the placement of Banedanmark’s 1,200 sensors for continuous monitoring.

Automated mapping of climate risks 

As part of the climate risk analysis, the project included the development of an automated GIS screening tool to identify: 

• Railway sections at risk of a ‘bathtub effect’ based on ballast age. 
• Overloaded culverts during 20-, 50- and 100-year events. 
• Culverts with inappropriate flow patterns and risk of erosion. 
• Vertical low points in the track geometry with risk of water accumulation. 
• Pumps, buildings and switches located in critical low points. 
• Terrain low points around technical assets and buildings. 
• Slope areas at risk of erosion and slope failure during heavy runoff. 

Using the tool, the project team has been able to continuously and automatically update the risk analysis and improve incomplete or non-existent data in areas with high data uncertainty. At the same time, the combination of the GIS tool and the 1,200 sensors has enabled Banedanmark to better predict risk events and manage and adapt traffic during events.

This has contributed to a strong and credible decision-making basis for prioritising Banedanmark’s initiatives and investments in a robust and safe railway network for the future.