Abstract:Abstract : Research purposes : Seismic damage reveals that railway bridges , the key structures in the transportation system , are vulnerable to earthquakes. The under - construction Sichuan - Tibet Railway will pass the Luhuo Earthquake Zone and the Yarlung Zangbo Earthquake Zone , and are thus designed to withstand 8. 0- magnitude earthquakes. The paper has analyzed the vulnerability and adaptability of 32 m- span simply - supported girder railway bridges of a typical structure and different pier heights in accordance with the Wenchuan Seismic Wave and the displacement ductility ratios as failure indexes , hoping to provide theoretical references and a basis for the anti - earthquake design of the bridges along the Sichuan - Tibet Railway. Research conclusions:(1 ) Analysis of seismic vulnerability indicates that: Sichuan - Tibet Railway bridges supported by 3 m - 40 m high piers can better resist earthquakes, and the slight damage probability is 18% when the peak acceleration of ground oscillation is 0. 35 g, except for those supported by 25 m - high piers that are most likely to be damaged in an earthquake. (2) Analysis results of adaptability indicates that: all piers, regardless of their height, have relatively good anti - seismic properties. Among the four damages shown in curve graphs, the slight and moderate damages are close to each other , and the moderate and severe damages are far from one another , indicating that the structure is ductile. (3) The research result has guiding significance to improve further anti - seismic designs, post - earthquake emergency response and bridge structure evaluation of railway bridges in southwest mountainous areas.