Damage to railway earth structures and foundations caused by the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Statistics are compiled on the damage to railway earth structures, soil retaining walls and bridge foundations caused by the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake in Japan and the subsequent tsunami. Several case histories are reported on the damage they created and the rehabilitation works implemented, including the collapse of a high cut slope, the excessive settlement of embankments in lowland areas, the significant scoring of the backfill soil of bridge abutments, the restoration works of tilted bridge foundations and the tsunami-induced collapse of soil-retaining walls and bridge foundations. The good performance of well-designed foundations, which were able to survive the impact of the earthquake, particularly the effects of the earthquake-induced liquefaction of the subsoil layers, is also described.