Trial of a decision support system for the management of plain line track in the UK

摘要

The paper describes the preliminary results of trials of a decision support system, which forms part of a project entitled "A Prototype Expert System for Effective Track Maintenance and Renewal." The project is being undertaken by the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with a number of industrial partners and is sponsored by the UK government. The objective of the research is to improve the performance of the permanent way infrastructure and reduce maintenance costs for railways by encouraging a more consistent approach to the choice of remedial works. The project has assessed the adequacy of a European track maintenance and renewal tool called Ecotrack (Economical Track) and has adopted this as a shell expert system. The use of Ecotrack as a shell system has allowed the research team to concentrate on the more critical sections of the system and has enabled the project to be taken further than originally anticipated. The system is currently undergoing full-scale tests, both within Railtrack zone and maintenance contractor area. The paper will focus on the trials carried out within a Railtrack zone. It will consider the approach to development of the rule-base and database and will highlight the usefulness of 'Ecotrack-UK' as an operational maintenance management tool. It will conclude by identifying the key benefits of the system and also provide outline for future developments.