LCC analysis for switches and crossings : a case study from the Swedish Railway Network

This paper makes an attempt to analyze the LCC values of switches and crossings (S&C) on Swedish Railway Track. The scope of the paper is to explore the possibility of using LCC as a decision tool for an infrastructure manager. The S & C cost from the Swedish Rail Administration (Banverket) were collected for the LCC analysis as a part of the case study. A cost model based on the acquisition phase and the operation and maintenance phase has been developed and tested. In this model the LCC values of three types of S & Cs are compared. The model can also be used to find cost drivers, as well as to perform sensitivity analysis to find parameters that have a large influence on the result. The model has been built with the assumption that a multiple type of maintenance action is undertaken for each subsystem. Within the model, there is a possibility of defining periodical maintenance intervals besides the annual maintenance cost. The LCC value may be presented as an annuity cost, which enables a comparison between assets that have different technical lifetimes.Validerad; 2009; 20090424 (ysko)