Sensitivity Analysis of Track Maintenance Strategies for the High Speed Rail (HSR) Services

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasi Lautala ◽  
Hamed Pouryousef
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Preventive Maintenance ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Calibration Procedure ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Maintenance Strategies ◽  
Track Maintenance ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Operation Pattern

Track Maintenance (TM) is one of the critical parts of rail operations and asset management. It has been estimated that about 25–35% of all operational costs are related to the track maintenance performance which can be typically classified as either corrective maintenance (CM) or preventive maintenance (PM). The first is a more reactive approach, where maintenance is conducted when inspections have revealed a need for action. The latter is a strategic approach that is mainly applied through maintenance planning. High Speed Rail (HSR) systems, especially on shared HSR corridors, can complicate track maintenance conditions due to the tight tolerances and precision, reliability and safety issues required by HSR. This paper evaluates strategic approaches for track maintenance planning along selected HSR corridors with either shared or dedicated operation pattern. The paper uses analytical and descriptive parameter tables to evaluate how sensitive a corridor is to changes in essential criteria for developing track maintenance strategies (TMS). These criteria may include: - HSR traffic conditions and operations regime; - TMS approach (or strategy) on current rail lines connected to the new HSR line; - Operation and Maintenance (O&M) structure of HSR management system. The descriptive parameter tables have been used by a specific PM modeling approach called preventive maintenance scheduling problem (PMSP). Before running PMSP model over a designated line, the respective parameters of the model should be calibrated and analyzed based on the line specifications. The descriptive parameter tables can be used during calibration procedure to assist in analyzing the sensitivity of model’s parameters and variables for the above mentioned criteria. This paper discusses and compares TMS approaches on three planned HSR corridors in Europe (Lisbon-Madrid HSR), Asia (Tehran-Isfahan HSR) and USA (California HSR). All three HSR rail corridors are under development, but each presents specific sensitivities to the given PM model’s parameters that can affect track maintenance strategic planning along these corridors. We concluded that TMS model calibration by these descriptive analytical tables can assist maintenance strategic planners in identifying different TMS approaches when dealing with maintenance contractors, HSR operators and public rail authorities.

scholarly journals Track Maintenance Scheduling and Its Interactions With Operations: Dedicated and Mixed High-Speed Rail (HSR) Scenarios

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed Pouryousef ◽  
Paulo Teixeira ◽  
Joseph Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Maintenance ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Maintenance Scheduling ◽  
Track Structure ◽  
Maintenance Planning ◽  
Critical Feature ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Track Maintenance ◽  
Operations And Maintenance ◽  
Technical Specifications

HSRs are a complex system not only in terms of technical specifications, but also with respect to operations and maintenance over the track structure. Also, track structure is basically considered as the most important and costly railway asset. Its maintenance is vital to assure safety and operating practices are also of great importance to assure that a good level of service is provided. Considering track maintenance considerations over a new HSR line, one important and critical feature is the operational regime and the question of whether the line will be operated as mixed (passenger and freight) or dedicated only to passenger traffic. This can influence the maintenance patterns: preventive maintenance planning, maintenances scheduling and assignment issues. This will be different for the dedicated and mixed HSR traffic scenarios. In this research, the main approach is focused on the interactions between track maintenance planning and operational concerns and influences in these two scenarios. With this aim and within the current paper, a model of the preventive maintenance scheduling problem (PMSP) has been selected initially from Budai (2006) and then an upgraded revision of this model (Multi-segment assignment and scheduling of preventive maintenance problem) is introduced. Furthermore, the upgraded model of PMSP has been run over a given HSR line (Tehran-Qom HSR corridor in Iran) based on the comparison between the two scenarios of dedicated HSR and upgraded mixed HSR patterns. The main requirements, similarities and differences between these two scenarios are analyzed based on preventive maintenance scheduling and assignment requisites and interactions over the operating restrictions and considerations such as track possession patterns for maintenance activities. We conclude that decision making between these two scenarios through PMSP modeling are quite complicated and depends on the technical and operational specifications of the given HSR corridor, although some general comments on tradeoffs are possible.

Narrowing longitudinally coupled prefabricated slab track maintenance duration with field data analysis of slab deformation under high temperature

2021 ◽  
pp. 095440972098626
Author(s):  
Zai-Wei Li ◽  
Xiao-Zhou Liu ◽  
Hong-Yao Lu ◽  
Yue-Lei He
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Periodic Variation ◽  
Longitudinal Force ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Track Maintenance ◽  
Slab Track

The deformation of longitudinally coupled prefabricated slab track (LCPST) due to high temperature may lead to a reduction in ride comfort and safety in high-speed rail (HSR) operation. It is thus critical to understand and track the development of such defects. This study develops an online monitoring system to analyze LCPST deformation at different slab depths under various temperatures. The trackside system, powered by solar energy with STM8L core that is ultra-low in energy consumption, is used to collect data of LCPST deformation and temperature level uninterruptedly. With canonical correlation analysis, it is found that LCPST deformation presents similar periodic variation to yearly temperature fluctuation and large longitudinal force may be generated as heat accumulates in summer, thereby causing track defects. Then the distribution of temperature and deformation data is categorized based on fuzzy c-means clustering. Through the distribution analysis, it is suggested that slab inspection can be shortened to 6 hours, i.e. from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, reducing 14.3% track inspection workload from the current practice. The price of workload reduction is only a 2% chance of missed detection of slab deformation. The finding of this research can be used to enhance LCPST monitoring efficiency and reduce interruption to HSR operation, which is an essential step in promoting reliable and cost-effective track service.

Hyperloop Concept Technological and Operational Review: The Potential to Fill Rail Niche Markets

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio C. Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Air Transport ◽  
Niche Markets ◽  
Technical Literature ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Mode Of Transport ◽  
Set Up

Abstract The modern society’s continuous increasing mobility requirements have encouraged new transportation technological platforms. The so called Hyperloop concept, also described as the fifth mode of transport (rather than road, rail, water and air) for both passenger and/or freight) is supported on the idea of a pod like vehicle, running in a near vacuum environment (inside tubes) at near sonic speeds, higher than current air transport ones. This technological approach has played a prominent role in the modern transport scenario, with a potential to offer high service levels, associated with high speed, reliability and weather operational flexibility, as well as reduced environmental footprint and costs. This groundbreaking technological concept, albeit revolutionary, can not be seen as a novelty, with previous precursors being proposed in the last century. However, the concept has been reintroduced in 2012 with updated technologies, in an open sourced format, by the acknowledged entrepreneur Elon Musk, to instigate further improvement/development among interested companies worldwide, focused on its exploration on a commercial scale in the near future. The Hyperloop concept is envisioned to compete with both the High Speed Rail (HSR) and Maglev services, in the 160–640 km (100–400 mi) range, as well as air transport, for up to 1,000 km (625 mi) range, with alleged both environmental and cost advantages over their competitors. However, despite the technology’s high performance potential, given its multidisciplinary feature (sonic/high speed, near vacuum, linear motor propulsion, electric power storage, pod environment maintenance/cooling, air quality control, transport capacity, among others) and its inherent current low maturity from both the engineering, operational and cost perspectives, there are several major technological, regulatory, planning, financial and environmental challenges to be addressed, prior to reach the commercial service status. In this context, it is currently required a huge research effort to figure out technological barriers, followed by prototype tests, to set up the safety and operational requirements. Work is current under way, with a huge research effort (from both the academy and the industry) focused on basic technological concepts, as well as some prototype tests (currently unmanned) driven to test the specific main technological approaches in a real world condition. Given its revolutionary feature, Hyperloop technology is seemed as both ambitious and controversial by the general public and transport experts, with some optimistic bets in its medium term revolutionary role in the passenger transport market, focused on some niche segments currently serviced by the rail mode, as well as other skeptical bets in its restricted role to the freight market, given some inherent safety issues. This work is supposed to present a review (supported on the current available technical literature) of the groundbreaking Hyperloop technology concept and its potential to fill some specific rail niche markets, in both passenger and/or freight segments, with an assessment of the main technology’s hurdles/bottlenecks status and their perspectives, from a technological, environmental and cost focus, followed by a snapshot of some potential Hyperloop project candidates.

scholarly journals Examination of Vehicle Performance at High Speed and High Cant Deficiency

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Marquis ◽  
Jon LeBlanc ◽  
Ali Tajaddini
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Lateral Force ◽  
Ride Quality ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Vehicle Performance ◽  
Track Geometry ◽  
Track Maintenance ◽  
Performance Requirements ◽  
Rail Vehicles ◽  
The Us

In the US, increasing passenger speeds to improve trip time usually involves increasing speeds through curves. Increasing speeds through curves will increase the lateral force exerted on track during curving, thus requiring more intensive track maintenance to maintain safety. These issues and other performance requirements including ride quality and vehicle stability, can be addressed through careful truck design. Existing high-speed rail equipment, and in particular their bogies, are better suited to track conditions in Europe or Japan, in which premium tracks with little curvature are dedicated for high-speed service. The Federal Railroad Administration has been conducting parametric simulation studies that examine the performance of rail vehicles at high speeds (greater than 90 mph) and at high cant deficiency (greater than 5 inches). The purpose of these analyses is to evaluate the performance of representative vehicle designs subject to different combinations of track geometry variations, such as short warp and alinement.

Research on Prediction of High-Speed Rail Trains Delay Time

CICTP 2020 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Shi ◽  
Qiyuan Peng ◽  
Ling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Delay Time ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Speed Rail

THE HIGH-SPEED RAIL HANDBOOK: A TECHNICAL GUIDE1

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-530
Author(s):  
Massimo Zucchetti1,2 ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
High Speed Rail

High-Speed Rail Networks, Capacity Investments and Social Welfare

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Bracaglia ◽  
Tiziana D'Alfonso ◽  
Alberto Nastasi ◽  
Dian Sheng ◽  
Yulai Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Speed Rail
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document