Optimisation of Mechanised Maintenance Management

Railway infrastructure management involves a high degree of complexity. Economic, legal, political and, above all, technical interdependencies are required. The aim of the Best Practice Permanent Way Maintenance series is to describe these relationships in a structured way for all stakeholders. "Infrastructure Management" looks at aspects of infrastructure management with particular reference to the single European railway area. Based on best-practice examples from Central Europe, measures for the targeted retrofitting and improvement of the infrastructure maintenance of the existing network are presented. In many places, infrastructure operators are faced with a generational change, which accelerates the process. Modern information and communication technology can simplify the comprehension and presentation of complex contexts. Modified approaches to asset management and life-cycle management enable implementation of the "transparent permanent way" or the "railway 4.0". The included pdf e-book allows users to search and access all terms and references electronically using their PC, Tablet or Smartphone

This book is dedicated to the many people involved in the day to day planning and performance of track maintenance activities. Providing a practical approach to everyday challenges in mechanised track maintenance, it is not just intended as a theoretical approach to the track system. Railways aim at transporting people and freight safely, rapidly, regularly, comfortably and on time from one place to another. This book is directed to track infrastructure departments contributing to the above objective by ensuring the track infrastructure’s reliability, availability, maintainability and safety – denoted by the acronym RAMS. Regular, effective and affordable track maintenance enable RAMS to be achieved. As a social service, railways are required to transport people at affordable fares. On freight railways, transportation costs significantly influence the competitiveness of products, particularly when it comes to exports. The “affordability” of maintenance activities should therefore be added to RAMS, hence RAMAS, since operating and capital funds are a major stumbling block for effective maintenance practice. As a result, alternative methods and technologies will always be sought after. This has given rise to the term “appropriate” technology as opposed to “latest” or “best” technology. Maintenance strategies and methods play a major role in ensuring the RAMAS of the railway as they involve decisions on the track sections to be maintained, the maintenance measures to be taken, the resources available for maintenance and the use of appropriate maintenance machinery. The focus of this book is therefore placed on reliability, availability, maintainability, affordability and safety as objectives of track maintenance.