Introduction to ground-related risk to transportation infrastructure

A conference was held at the Geological Society of London on the theme of ‘Ground-related Risk to Transportation Infrastructure’. This conference attracted nearly 200 delegates from around the world and, while there was a UK focus, presentations and posters of a very high quality were given on a wide range of topics illustrated by global examples. The thematic set of papers presented in this issue of the journal give a good indication of the range and quality of the subject matter presented to the conference. Transportation infrastructure is of vital strategic importance to countries, and is often referred to as the backbone of a modern economy. Risks arising from hazards in the ground, either natural or anthropogenic, pose a significant threat to the safety and performance of such transport networks and, hence, the subject of geotechnical asset management is of great importance. This set of papers covers examples drawn from the four themes of the conference: strategic geotechnical asset management; current and future resilience and monitoring; ground-related hazards; and operational response to hazards and events. It is hoped that the spirit of knowledge sharing and discussion engendered by the conference continues with future events and publications.