Handling increased need of maintenance to meet future freight demands: Deterioration and effective maintenance strategies for track system and rail vehicles

Abstract

This report addresses future increased demands of freight on the Swedish railways. To achieve an increase in total freight, different forms of operations can be utilized like increasing the axle load, speed, or frequency which are all scenarios that will be evaluated in the report. The impact caused by those measures will affect both deterioration and the need for efficient maintenance regarding rail vehicles and track systems. Different methods of maintenance, both currently used and newly developed methods are discussed in this report to be able to evaluate how it is possible to become more efficient. The deterioration that occurs during the operation of freight trains is described in the report since an understanding is needed to address the problems and possible solutions. What also plays a vital role in the maintenance plan is to detect faults efficiently. To get an idea about how all of these issues are handled in the industry, interviews have been held with professional staff at four large companies in Sweden. Together with literature studies, this forms the foundation of this report.