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Track/Infrastructure Maintenance & Engineering

 

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Changing the future

28 January 2010 | By László Mosóczi, Member of the Board, Chief Operating Officer, Head of MÁV Infrastructure

Hungarian State Railways Co. (MÁV) is characterised by limited market and financial opportunities which are determined by the obligation to sustain the level of service, the application of obligatory ticket prices, limited budgetary compensations and by limited debt raising opportunities. After a couple of decades, the first years of the…

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Major network investments will help reduce UK passenger disruption

12 December 2009 | By Craig Waters, Commissioning Editor

If a railway network is in need of track renewal, it is vitally important that the procedures are carried out to the best possible standards. Network downtime needs to be kept to an absolute minimum and it is therefore essential for infrastructure owners to invest heavily in high-tech track renewal…

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Predicting deterioration in track condition

23 January 2009 | By Dr. Nick Thom, Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK

With ballasted trackbed here for the foreseeable future, Dr. Nick Thom looks at ways of predicting the rate at which it deteriorates and the factors that affect it.

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Grinding and milling are essential to rail quality

23 January 2009 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review

Rail grinding helps to prevent the dangerous build-up of rolling contact fatigue, and also reduces running noise for line side communities. James Abbott, Technical Editor for Global Railway Review, assesses some developments and significant aspects of this important area of our industry.

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Developments in railway tracks

28 December 2008 | By Prof. Coenraad Esveld, Director of Esveld Consulting Services and Em. Professor of Railway Engineering, TU Delft

One of the most important developments in the last decade was the large scale application of slab track. This is in particular the case for high-speed tracks. In countries like The Netherlands, with very soft soil conditions, classical high-speed tracks could only be realised without massive soil improvements via grouting…

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A new process for the aluminothermic weld repair of discrete rail surface defects

3 December 2008 | By Professor Andrew McNaughton, Chief Engineer, Network Rail and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member, Brian Whitney, Head of Rail Management, Network Rail and Ian Banton, Technical Development Manager, Thermit Welding (GB) Ltd.

Isolated rail head defects formed under traffic, detected either by visual inspection or ultrasonic flaw testing, can significantly reduce the service life of rails if not managed correctly. Surface initiated defects account for approximately 50% of all defects removed from Network Rail (NR) Infrastructure. These are predominately made up of…

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Comprehensive overhead-line inspection

3 December 2008 | By Uwe Richter, Overhead Contact Line Expert, Eurailscout

How the modern contacting and contactless inspection and analysis of overhead-line systems on normal and high-speed routes are a guarantee of safe railway operation without disturbances.

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Neopul’s dedicated work in Ireland

3 December 2008 | By Paulo Real Oliviera, Project Manager, Neopul

Details of how Neopul is actively working on some important projects in Ireland which include the Laois Traincare Depot, the LUAS Red Cow Rail Diversion and the LUAS B1-400 extension.

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Weld registration and acceptance

27 September 2008 | By Coenraad Esveld, Director of Esveld Consulting Services (ECS), Professor of Railway Engineering, TU Delft and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member

For a long time now, poor weld geometry has been a major problem for railway infrastructure. Due to geometrical imperfections, high dynamic loads could be generated during wheel passage. The only way to control the geometrical quality in an effective way, is by measuring and documenting every weld with an…

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High levels of mechanisation in Swiss track maintenance

1 August 2008 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor

SBB is minimising the amount of time track is tied up with maintenance, by automating inspection systems and adopting standard components that can be installed rapidly. Global Railway Review’s Technical Editor, James Abbott, talks to Daniel Wyder, SBB’s Head of Asset Management for Track.

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Under Sleeper Pads: improving track quality while reducing operational costs

1 August 2008 | By Harald Loy, System Engineer, Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH

More traffic, increasing axle loads and higher speeds are just some of the ongoing technical and economic challenges railway operators and track managers around the world are faced with today. Under Sleeper Pads (USP) have been proven to extend the service life of the track superstructure and help to reduce…

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Milling – the new dimension of rail-profiling

28 May 2008 | By Hans-Peter Bartmann, International Sales Manager, Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH

It was in 2003 when Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH from Austria launched its new version of the Rail Milling Train SF 03 FFS for German Railways, DB AG, and Alpha-Rail Team for the German Railway Market. Since then, the rail milling technology of Linsinger started a matchless and incomparable victory lap…

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DB’s experience with Y-steel sleepers

8 April 2008 | By Andreas Beck and Thomas Hempe, Specialists in Track Technology Management, DB Netz AG

Permanent way is required to absorb the static and dynamic forces resulting in vertical (z), lateral (y), and longitudinal (x) directions from railway traffic loads, to effectively distribute them, and to transfer them into the sub-grade at reduced magnitudes. Superimposed on these external forces are additional internal forces arising from…

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Know-how, smart strategies and dedicated equipment

8 April 2008 | By Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Gruber, Head of Infra Service Division, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG

In order to be competitive on the liberalised rail transport market, the ÖBB Group must operate with market-oriented companies. A key success factor is the reliable transport handling and, thus, the reliability of the infrastructure facilities. That is where the division Infra Service of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG comes in.

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Ballast Reinforcement: a new vision or just a mirage?

8 April 2008 | By Dr. Nick Thom, Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK

Despite modern railways being at the forefront of technologies such as power transmission, signalling, control systems and vehicle dynamics, there is one element which is stuck firmly in the Stone Age – the trackbed. It is true that some tracks are being designed and built with concrete or asphalt bases,…