Rockfall susceptibility and network-ranked susceptibility along the Italian railway

Rockfalls pose a substantial threat to ground transportation, due to their rapidity, destructive potential and high probability of occurrence on steep topographies, often found along roads and railway routes. Approaches for the assessment of rockfall susceptibility range from purely phenomenological methods and statistical methods, suitable for modeling large areas, to purely deterministic ones, usually easier to use in local analyses. A common requirement is the need to locate potential detachment points, often found uphill on cliffs, and the subsequent assessment of the runout areas of rockfalls stemming from such points.