INNOTRACK - Innovative Track Systems
Overview
Background & policy context:
Infrastructure accounts for about 70% of railway systems' total costs. Rail infrastructure managers spend millions of euros each year on maintaining network infrastructures throughout Europe while the supply industry is investing hundreds of millions in research and development on rail technologies to deliver cost-effective products for rail infrastructure.
Any reduction of production and maintenance costs would, therefore, have a significant impact on the overall cost of the provision of rail infrastructure for operators. However, a reduction in the production cost itself at the site of the supply industry has to go hand in hand with a reduction in maintenance and renewal costs for infrastructure managers (IMs).
There is a strong need to bring together those responsible for the delivery of railway transportation with those responsible for providing products, services and technologies to this industry, in order to reduce life-cycle costs (LCC), improve reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) of infrastructure, while still increasing the service life of infrastructure and overall performance of the rail system.
The INNOTRACK project was a joint response of the major stakeholders in the rail sector – infrastructure managers, railway supply industry and research bodies – to further develop a cost effective high performance track infrastructure by providing innovative solutions towards significant reduction of both investments and maintenance related infrastructure costs.
INNOTRACK has been a unique opportunity to bring together rail IMs and industry suppliers and to concentrate on the re-search issues that has a strong influence on the reduction of rail infrastructure LCC.
Objectives:
The main objective of INNOTRACK was to reduce the LCC, while improving the RAMS characteristics (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety) of a conventional line with a mixed traffic duty.
The second major objective of INNOTRACK was to streamline the introduction of innovative solutions. Railways have suffered for too long from innovative technologies that turn out to be too ambitious and expensive to maintain. This led to significant innovation in products and services offered by the industry. However, to ensure that the innovative solutions do indeed bring benefit to both industry and IMs two issues needed to be tackled:
- The IMs needs to be significantly reduced to justify the continued investment in R&D by the supply industry.
- Innovative to be verified from a railway system perspective.
The third important objective was to harmonise LCC calculations to provide comparison points on a Europe-wide basis.
As an overall measurable objective, INNOTRACK aimed at a 30% LCC reduction of track-related costs.
Methodology:
INNOTRACK was organised in seven sub projects (SP). To achieve a wider approach, a matrix organisation was formed. The three vertical technical projects were developed to meet the technical demands. The three horizontal where created to verify and to give other aspects on technical solutions based on the above mentioned new demands.
The three technical (vertical) sub-projects were:
- Track support structure (SP2)
The sub-project has studied track subgrade monitoring and assessment. Furthermore, evaluation and test of superstructure innovations were carried out. - Switches and crossings (SP3)
The sub-project has studied optimised switch designs where predictive modelling played a key role. Further standardisation of driving and locking devices, and also the development of switch monitoring equipment were key elements. - Rails and welding (SP4)
The sub-project dealt with methodologies to establish rail deterioration under varying operational conditions. It established maintenance criteria and methodologies. It further studied improved methods for test of rail materials, for rail inspection and for welding.
These sub-projects could be described as traditional technical projects. They were supported by three cross-disciplinary (horizontal) sub-projects:
- Duty and requirements (SP1)
The aim of this sub-project was first to identify current problems and cost drivers for the existing infrastructure. After the root causes had been identified, the project proposed innovative solutions in order to mitigate the problems. At the end of the project a technical verification of technical solutions that had not been validated in the technical sub-projects was carried out. The aim was to deliver innovative solutions that were both technically and economically verified. Finally, this sub-project also assessed the overall potential cost reduction derived from the INNOTRACK solutions. - Life cycle cost assessment (SP6)
There were two ideas with this sub-project. The first was to economically verify the innovative solutions to the technical problems. This was carried out with LCC and RAMS analyses. The second was to evaluate/develop a Europe-wide accepted process. - Logistics (SP5)
Here the potential for logistic improvements were identified and proposals for promising areas of improvement brought forward. Furthermore, the sub-project was responsible for a logistics a
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