Evaluation of Track Geometry Degradation in Swedish Heavy Haul Railroad - A Case Study

摘要

The measurement and improvement of track quality are key issues in determining both the time and cost of railway maintenance. Efficient track geometry maintenance ensures optimum allocation of limited maintenance resources and has an enormous effect on maintenance efficiency. Applying the appropriate tamping strategy also helps reduce maintenance costs, making operations more cost effective and leading to increased safety and passenger comfort. In this paper, track geometry data from the iron ore line in northern Sweden, which handles both passenger and freight trains, are used to calculate track quality degradation trend in a cold climate. The paper describes Trafikverket's (Swedish Transport Administration) tamping strategy and illustrates the distribution of safety failures in different seasons. It also analyses the track geometry degradation and discuss about the possible reasons for distribution of failures over a year and along the track.