How is railway track maintenance performed?

By @dM1nBlog

Do you know what the process requires to carry out optimal railway track maintenance? Learn more about this crucial task.

There are many tasks necessary to ensure a railway network functions properly, and railway track maintenance is essential in this regard. Since the history of the train spans over 200 years, it is understandable that the methods for maintaining and ensuring its good performance have evolved over time. While the process was more rudimentary in the early days, today, there are even software tools available that provide real-time data on the machinery. Do you have a general understanding of a strategy for railway track maintenance? Below, we outline a series of steps that ensure safe and high-quality operation.

Essential practices for railway track maintenance

  • Rehabilitation and track changes: This involves all tasks carried out to improve the tracks, such as replacing materials, improving the longitudinal profile, general cleaning, and more. Progressive rehabilitation can also help reduce costs.
  • Replacement of switches, rails, sleepers, and fastenings: Removing old or damaged switches, replacing worn rails, removing broken sleepers, and replacing fastenings are tasks that cannot be overlooked. It’s essential to constantly monitor when these actions are needed.
  • Necessary treatments: These include treatments for level crossings, track equipment, rail greasers, and metal sections. This checklist should also be conducted as part of preventive maintenance.
  • Track cleaning: This involves removing ballast when needed, either partially or entirely. It can be done manually, but using track maintenance vehicles is recommended.
  • Leveling and alignment: The ballast supporting the sleepers is compacted to ensure the track meets the required geometric tolerances.
  • Shaping, stabilization, and track neutralization: This stage involves shaping the embankment, then applying horizontal vibrations to the track while applying a static vertical load. In the end, the stability lost during tamping is recovered.
  • Welding: Thermite welding of rails can be performed to join the ends of two bars and remove excess metal. Electric welding is also effective for this purpose and offers a high level of reliability.
  • Rail grinding: This eliminates track wear and manufacturing defects.
  • Spraying with herbicide trains: The final, but essential task. Herbicide trains prevent the growth of plants between the ballast, solving visibility issues.

Software for railway track maintenance

Returning to the technological aspect mentioned at the beginning of the article, predictive maintenance software helps manage all data related to machinery and tracks. This stored information is useful for minimizing accident risks, issuing alerts, and generating reports. Some highly rated digital tools in the market include eMaint and MP Version 10.

Railway track maintenance can be a complicated subject if you’re not familiar with it, but it is critical for the proper operation of any railway and should never be overlooked. At TrackSpeq, we can help you with any questions your company may have regarding the tasks required by the Mexican Railway System.

Contact us!

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