Experimental Tracks and Their Role in Testing of Rolling Stock and Railway Infrastructure

To speed up the deployment of innovative solutions in rail transport, while ensuring their required quality, dedicated testing grounds are used in some European and non-European countries. Such testing grounds include, in particular, experimental tracks and a special group of them are experimental loops districts. One advantage of such advanced infrastructure is the availability of conditions comparable to those on railway lines but with no impact on the performance of transport tasks, the availability of the same conditions for comparative tests and the continuity of tests, which considerably shortens their duration and accelerates the results. The article describes the parameters of the experimental tracks in use, and compares and classifies them in the context of the feasibility of different types of testing.