Issues and challenges with logistics of rail maintenance

Detection and rectification of rail defects are major issues for all rail players around the world. Some of the defects include worn out rails, weld problems, internal defects, corrugations and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) intiated problems such as surface cracks, head checks, squats spalling and shelling. There are challenges to the infrastructure maintenance people with logistics for effective inspection and cost effective recitification decisions. If these issues are addressed properly then inspection and rectification decisions can reduce potential risk of rail breaks and derailments. Inspite of continous efforts by all rail operators around the world to reduce costs, a substantial amount of railway budget is spent on inspection and maintenance of rails. These costs are further increased by inaccurate logistics decisions related to maintenance and inspection personnel, equipment and planning. This paper addresses the issues and challenges related to logistics of rail maintenance with an aim to reduce costs and risk related to rail operations. Godkänd; 2006; Bibliografisk uppgift: CD-ROM; 20070206 (ysko)