Categorisation of the installed base as part of a strategic maintenance concept

As a railway operator it is important to have a precise knowledge of the total range of railway materials present in the network that you manage. It is also very useful to know the condition of the items. If this is the case, it is much easier to establish the optimum approach to your preventive maintenance practices. In this way you do not only prevent malfunctions but also prolong the lifespan of the railway network. Lightrail operator HTM asked for our help. So, we categorised all turnouts in the Randstadrail area and made a digital overview of all required information digitally.   

Custom-made and organised according to the client’s wishes

In its role as a railway operator of lightrail in the Haaglanden region, HTM is – among other zones – responsible for the Randstadrail area. Recently, HTM took over the turnout maintenance activities in this trajectory from the railway contractor. It became soon obvious that there was no clear overview available of the installed base; what type(s) of turnout components were used in the Randstadrail system and in what condition were these components? In order to develop a good turnout maintenance strategy, HTM particularly wanted to acquire information about the current turnouts.  

Owing to our years-long experience, knowledge and expertise in the field of turnout technology and the fact that we are the supplier/manufacturer of the original turnouts for Randstadrail, we were able to translate our client’s wishes into a tailor-made turnout categorisation. During this process, our colleagues of the Quality Assurance Products Department were able to exactly identify all turnouts present in the network, their components, and the condition they were in. It was a long and intensive project of three months, during which our specialised crew conducted several measurements three nights a week. Next, the resulting information was digitally stored in a form specifically designed for this project. Through this form, HTM has – at one glance - all relevant information at its disposal. 

Apart from the numbers and types of turnouts and the length of the tongues, the digital overview also provides information on the stock-rails and frogs, as well as on the type of fasteners and tongue rolling systems used. In addition, the position of the fitting rods of the point machine and the wear-and-tear patterns at the most crucial spots on the turnout are documented. Together with additional photos, the form contains all this complex information. Based on this knowledge, a spot on maintenance strategy can be developed, enabling a faster and more efficient maintenance process. For example, when ordering new tongues, issues such as the surplus length required can be taken into account in case of replacement.

Could our knowledge and experience be of service to you in the creation of a strategic maintenance concept for your lightrail network? Do not hesitate to contact our Product Manager Rob van de Grift.