Eurocode 1 — Actions on structures — Part 2: Traffic loads on bridges and other civil engineering works

Scope

Eurocode 1 Part 2 defines the traffic actions for bridge design, including the rail load models LM71, SW/0, SW/2 and HSLM with associated dynamic, centrifugal, traction and braking effects. The 2023 second-generation edition supersedes EN 1991-2:2003 and is the structural design basis for railway bridges, used alongside the EN 15528 line-category framework by infrastructure managers and bridge designers.

EN 1991-2, part of the Eurocode 1 series on actions on structures, defines the traffic actions that must be applied in the design of railway bridges and other civil engineering structures carrying rail traffic. It specifies the standard rail load models -- including Load Model 71 for normal traffic, the SW/0 and SW/2 models for heavier or continuous loading, and the High Speed Load Model (HSLM) for high-speed passenger trains -- together with the associated dynamic amplification, centrifugal, traction and braking effects a structure must be designed to resist. The 2023 second-generation edition supersedes the original EN 1991-2:2003 as part of the broader second-generation update of the Eurocode suite, refining load models and design provisions in light of accumulated engineering experience. Bridge designers and infrastructure managers apply it together with the line-category framework of EN 15528, since the rail load models it defines must be consistent with the axle-load categorisation used for route compatibility. As the structural design basis for railway bridges across Europe, it is a mandatory reference wherever Eurocodes are the applicable design basis for infrastructure projects.