Topic of the International Technical Seminar of I.P.W.E.

(India) held on
20th July 2017 at New-Delhi:

GLOBAL TRENDS IN TRACK TECHNOLOGIES

AND FAST PACED CONSTRUCTION

Some Aspects

Modern Heavy Haul Track Technology on Fortescue Line, Australia, catering 42 t Axle-
Load on World`s heaviest Axle-Load Railway Line

Submitted by Dr. F.A. Wingler, Germany, updated August 2017

1
SYNOPSIS:

The global trend in Rail Track Technology is governed and ruled by Overall
Life-Cycle Costs Considerations. The demand is to bring Initial High Track
Quality on the Rail Roads. World Class Designs, Specification and Standards
for High Track Quality are already well known amongst Indian Track
Engineering Experts.

Track Quality starts with well bearing Substructure-Constituents and with

Drainage. A Track is as good as what is underneath and how Water can be
taken out and kept away from the Track-Bed.

High Track Quality is achieved with the deployment of Heavy-Duty and High
Performance On-Track Machinery. In the last decade many Innovations
in Heavy-Duty and High Performance Track Machineries have been
achieved, as revealed at the last International Exhibition “iaf”, held at
Münster, Germany, May 30th to June 01st 2017. Together with Mr. J.S.
Mundrey the author had the privilege to attend this top class event.

Many Railways make nowadays use of the benefits of Elastic Under-Sleeper

Pads laced on the sole of Concrete Sleepers. The “fit-and-forget” Pandrol
Fast-Clip System is superseding worldwide the Pandrol-Type Elastic Rail
Fastenings.

Long milled and factory Flash-Butt welded long Rail Panels of High Steel
Quality are prerequisites for Higher Speed and make Ultrasonic Testing on
Rail Tracks superfluous. In-service failures of Rail Welds can be reduced by
robotic Flash-But Welding of long Rail Panels at site. Well supervised proper
handling, loading, transport and unloading is essential.

Foamed Polyurethane (FFU) has become on several Railways an

innovative substitute for timber, where elastic properties, easy handling,
processing and lower weight of Wooden Sleepers are still needed as on
bridges, on stiffness-transitions and for tailor made Switches and
Crossings.
Turnouts/Switches are the main cost-drivers. The Manufacturer Shwihag and
Vossloh are the front-runners in innovative Turnout/Switch Technology
resulting in lower maintenance costs.
Friction Management on curvatures include Rail-Profiling achieved by Target
Rail Grinding or Milling and by running Rail Corner Lubrication and/or Top-of-
Rail Lubrication.

The Life-Span of Rails is increased by preventive Rail Grinding. With high

tractive force Traction by three phase asynchronous AC traction-motors (with
ITGP Technology) Rail Head-Check Problems are on increase. In

2
order to prevent the growth of rail-surface defects to become cracks in the
rails, the global trend is to grind as a counter-measurement the rails in
intervals (Preventive Grinding) with Heavy-Duty On-Track Machinery.

Modern Railways prepare by Condition Monitoring a Status Report of the

conditions of their full network with regard to their assets-behavior in order to
provide correlations with output quantities and the required financial
recourses for reinvestment in assets and infrastructure and for maintenance-
planning. Such an audit informs how healthy and excellent the system is and
behaves.

Modern Railways shift from reactive to proactive Track Maintenance

Strategies under Overall Life-Cycle Costs Considerations making use of Train
based in-Service Monitoring for Target Planning of Maintenance.

The trend is “predict and prevent”. Condition Monitoring, predictive

Maintenance Strategies, Target Planning of Maintenance and proactive
Maintenance are changing the way in which increasingly busy modern
Railways are managed around the globe. With more Sensors fitted to both
rolling stocks and infrastructure assets, the key challenge is turning the data
into insights, that will support improved reliability and availability.

KEY-WORDS, -TERMS, -METHAPHORS:

Track-Quality and Overall Life-Cycle Costs Considerations, Aggregated

Hindrance Costs, Track Deterioration Rate;

Substructure, Subsoil, Subgrade, Formation, Drainage; Ground Penetrating

Radar;

Steel-Quality, long milled Rails, Robotic Flash-Butt Welding;

Friction Management, Preventive and Target Rail-Grinding/Milling, Rail-
Lubrication, Head-Checks and high Tractive Effort IGBT Traction Technology;

Under-Sleeper Pads, Fiber Reinforced Foamed Polyurethane Sleepers;

Highly elastic Railfastening Systems, microcellular EPDM Railfastening Pads;

“Fit-and-Forget” Rail-Fastening Systems, Pandrol Fast Clips;

Innovative Switch/Turnout Technologies;

Innovative Heavy-Duty/High Performance On-Track Machinery, private

Track Building and Engineering Companies; High Quality Rail Welding;

3
Capital Investment Schemes of long-term Certainty, long-term Capacity and
Funding Agreements;

Network-Status Report, Condition Monitoring; Predictive and Preventive

Maintenance; Condition Based and Proactive Maintenance Planning and
Strategies, Train based in-service Monitoring and Data Collection for Target
Planning & Maintenance, Asset/Infrastructure/Maintenance Management;

Track Distortion Forces, Newton`s Law Mechanism, Optimizing Wheel-Rail

Systems for Technological Process, Cost-Efficiency, Reliability and Safety.

IN CONCLUSION:

What ails Indian Railways is not a lack in indigenous expert`s knowledge in

current global trends in Track Technologies and fast paced Construction. The
previous annual IPWE Seminars reveal that this knowledge is already in India
at hand.
What ails Indian Railways are
• insufficient Capital Investment Schemes of long-term certainty,
• lack of an appropriate large parks with well serviced and maintained
Heavy-Duty Track Machineries and modern Track Tools,
• lack of well trained and studied Operators and (Civil)Engineers for
Planning, Logistics, Field Works, Inspection and Supervision,
• lack of well-paid and well trained Manpower,
• lack of capable private Track Construction & Engineering Companies
well equipped with Heavy-Duty Track Machineries,
• limited Training and Education Capacity,
• inadequate provision of lengthy traffic blocks for maintenance and
repairs,
• Track Quality not matching the Traffic Load on several routes resulting
in increasing numbers of Derailment Disasters killing and injuring
hundreds of train passengers.

ASPECTS

HIGH TRACK QUALITY IS NO LUXURY

The global Trend in Track Technology is to bring under Overall Life-Cycle

Costs Considerations “INITIAL HIGH TRACK QUALITY” on the rail roads.
HIGH TRACK QUALITY is marked by LOW TRACK DETERIORATION
RATE – the loss of alignment parameters and properties of the track
constituents over the time under given traffic load. A HIGH QUALITY TRACK
deteriorates slower than a LOW QUALITY TRACK; details one can find in
4
the contribution to the RTR SPECIAL MAINTENANCE & RENEWAL, Issue
July 2007, ISBN 978-7771-0367-9, DVV Media Group GmbH, Hamburg,
Germany (especially in the paper TRACK QUALITY – LUXURY OR
NECESSITY? of Prof. P. Veith, page 8ff, and in THE TRACK SYSTEM AND
ITS MAINTENANCE by Dr. B. Lichtberger, page 14ff) as well in the
handbooks Dr. Bernhard Lichtberger, TRACK COMPENDIUM, Eurailpress,
Hamburg, Germany, ISBN: 978-3-7771-0421-8, 2011 and in Coenraad
Esveld, MODERN RAILWAY TRACK, MRT Production, Netherlands, ISBN:
90-800324-3-3, 2001; see also J.S. Mundrey/F.A. Wingler, INDIAN
RAILWAY TRACKS – a TRACK ENGINEERING COMPENDIUM, free for
download from http://www.drwingler.com, rubric PUBLICATIONS.

The loss of quality of track under traffic stress, of a track which is not in
compliance with the traffic load, causes an immense increase in routine-
maintenance expenditures. Since a poor quality track deteriorates much
faster than a high quality track under the same traffic load and stress, a poor
quality track needs much higher maintenance costs, which can be 10-fold
higher. It is highly uneconomical to render a railway service on a poor quality
track not matching the traffic load; see Prof. R.A. Smith, Vice President of
Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, UK, in IRJ Vol. 949, Issue 2,
Feb. 2009, page 9; A. Beck et al. in Permanent Way Technology
Management, Netz AG, German Federal Railway, in ETR, Vol.4, page 159,
2009; B. Lichtberger in DER EISENBAHN INGENIEUR (EI), 06/09, page 11,
2009; see also: F.A. Wingler INTRODUCTION: FUNDAMENTALS OF
MODERN RAIL-TRACK TECHNOLOGY in J.S. Mundrey/F.A. Wingler
INDIAN RAILWAY TRACKS, page 11-19, 2016, free for download under
“publications” from http://www.drwingler.com .

High Quality Tracks are designed for Robustness and low Maintenance. High
Capital Investment in Quality pays off over the Life-Cycle.

Investment in INITIAL HIGH TRACK QUALITY is not a Luxury; it is a

“MUST” under Overall Life-Cycle Costs Considerations.

Track Quality not only cuts overall Life-Cycle Costs, but it mitigates the Risks
of Train-Derailments resulting in bodily harm of Train-Passengers.

To deploy HIGH QUALITY on rail roads is a long-term process, lasting over

decades. It needs massive Capital Investment Schemes with certainty
for a period of at least 15 years ahead; best under a so-called “CAPACITY
AND FUNDING AGREEMENT”; see Prof. Dr. Jürgen Siegmann, Technical
University Berlin, Department of Track and Railway Operation, in RTR
Special Maintenance & Renewal, p.7, July 2007, ISBN: 978-3-7771-0367-9,
eurailpress, Hamburg, Germany.

5
The costs of improving QUALITY all arise immediately, but the benefits
emerge only in long-term; and in railway technology long-term is a very long
term (= Prof. P. Veith, Technical University Graz, Austria).

The Fortescue Railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (see above
image) transporting iron ore from the mines to Port Hedland and catering
nowadays 43.5 t axle-load - the world`s heaviest axle-load railway line – is a
private build Rail-Road, build under Overall Life-Cycle Considerations
utilizing the latest global trends and inovations in Rail Track Engineering.
Private operators include in their Overall Life-Cycle Costs Considerations the
so-called “Aggregated Hindrance Costs”, the costs emerging, when the
trains cannot run or can run only under speed restrictions.

TRACK QUALITY STARTS WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE BEARING

SUBSTRUCTURE-CONSTITUENTS AND WITH THE DRAINAGE

A Railway Track is as good as what is underneath. Quality starts with the

bearing quality of the substructure constituents, with a solid and well bearing
and well drained subsoil, subgrade, and with a formation without short- and
long-wave longitudinal undulations of the bearing quality. Stability and
longevity of a rail track depend in large extend, if water can be taken out and
kept away from the track-bed; see technical paper by F. Wingler Ballast,
Formation and Drainage, Part I, and Water the Enemy, Part II, free for
download from http://www.drwingler.com.

Side-Drain of a Rail Track in Germany

See also F.A. Wingler: WATER THE ENEMY OF THE RAIL TRACK, http://www.drwingler.com

6
On the last International Technical IPWE Seminar, held 12th & 13th January
2017 at Mumbai, in Session I, Paper No. 2, Prof. Ramesh Pinjani, IRICEN,
Pune, pointed out in his paper on Important Track Design Parameters to
cater Semi High-Speed & heavier Axle-Load Trains considerations on
important track design parameters for High Quality Tracks. He elucidated the
role of Substructure Constituents/Components for the inherent quality of a
track; www.ipwe2017mumbai.in.

The modern approaches being taken are Sub-Ground Diagnostics with

Ground Penetrating Radar.

INOVATIVE HEAVY-DUTY/HIGH PERFORMANCE

ON-TRACK MACHINERIES

Global Trend in substructure works is the increasing investment in Heavy-

Duty/High Performance Formation Rehabilitation Machineries, and for Fast
Paced Renewal and Construction the investment in the deployment of
Heavy Track Construction Machineries:

Formation Rehabilitation with Heavy-Duty/High Performance On-Track Machinery Train

7
 UMR 700: The Multitalented Heavy-Duty/High Performance On-Track Machinery for
Ballast and Sub-Grade Rehabilitation/Cleaning; especially for Switches

Heavy-Duty/High Performance On-Track Machinery for Track Renewal

A Heavy-Duty/High Performance On-Track Machinery park, a

prerequisite for FAST PACE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTAINANCE and
RENEWAL, needs high Capital Investment. The sophisticated
machineries have to be well looked after, maintained and serviced,
which is a problem in India to be tackled with. In European Countries
there are private Track Construction, Maintenance and Renewal
Companies/Undertakings, investing and in their own Heavy-Duty/High
Performance On-Track Machinery Park.

8
 Plasser&Theurer Track Renewal Train SMD 80

Plasser&Theurer Heavy-Duty Machinery SVM 1000 for Fast Paced Construction in China

Heavy-Duty Machinery for Fast Paced Track Laying

9
GLOBAL TRENDS IN USING ELASTOMERE UNDER-SLEEPER PADS
(USP) AND RAIL FASTENING WITH PANDROL FAST-CLIPS

Global trends for improving Track Quality through Superstructure

Components are elastomeric Under-Sleeper Pads and improved “fit-and-
forget” Rail Fastening Systems with elastic pads, which can be preassembled
on sleepers and which facilitate mechanized installation, like with the Pandrol-
Fast-Clip System. Fast-Clips are now worldwide superseding the Pandrol “e”
or PR Clip ERC Fastening Systems; see also F. Wingler, Demand for
Attendance-free “fit-and-forget” Rail-Fastening on envisaged Indian
Railway`s “Semi High-Speed” Routes – Pandrol Fast-Clip an advisable
Solution, free for download from http://www.drwingler.com.

The bottom of concrete sleepers touches the ballast stones only by an area of
10 to 11 %. Moving or “dancing” concrete sleepers crush the ballast edges to
dust, forming slurry with water and fouling the ballast bed and its elasticity.
With under-sleeper pads the contact area can be increased from 10 to 35 %,
and the tamping intervals can be prolonged by 2.75 times.

Providers for USP`s are the worldwide operating company Pandrol, UK, and
Getzner, Austria. Great benefits were identified by using Polyurethane
“SYLOMER” USPs, especially in stiffness-transition zones and approaches
to turnouts, bridges and tunnels. Following years of experience and due to an
increase in the volume of concrete sleepers being installed, the use of UPS’s
is becoming common practice with infrastructure management of DB
(Germany), SNCF (France), ÖBB (Austria with the Projects “Innotrans” and
RIVAS), ADIF (Spain), INFRABEL (Belgium), REFER (Portugal), SBB
(Switzerland) and on the Heavy-Haul Iron-Ore MALBANAN (Sweden) and
OFOTBANEN (Norway).

The track quality improvements are as follows:

• Ballast Protection against ballast degradation; the improvement in track
quality almost doubles the intervals between leveling, lining and
tamping.
• Reduced ballast thickness from 30 to 20 cm due to a better load
distribution.
• Fewer rail-corrugation especially in tight curves; grinding intervals may
be more than doubled.
• Mitigated effects of local discontinuities such as differences in track
settlement, hanging sleepers and differences in soil stiffness ect..
• Ideal use in stiffness transition zones to mitigate settlement differences
or stiffness-step changes.
• Can be used on the approach and running-off areas for bridges,
transitions between track construction types, rail expansion joints and to
control short bridge responses.
• Better track quality in turnouts.
10
 • Reduces Rail Corrugation, especially on tight radius curves.
• Extension of the Grinding Interval by at least a factor of two.
• Increased resistance against lateral sleeper displacement

USP leads to significant reduction of the Overall Life-Cycle Costs of a track

structure, especially on heavy used routes with tight curves.

Those benefits have a direct impact on the track maintenance costs, as USPs
will reduce the maintenance activities such as tamping, ballast cleaning and
grinding. A reduction of up to 38% in the life-cycle costs has been estimated
for tracks fitted with USP`s and subjected to more than 70,000 gross ton per
day. In Austria lacing the sole of the concrete sleepers with a rubber pad has
become standard.

Pandrol USP Under-Sleeper Pad System; Pict. by F. Wingler

The Swedish Infrastructure Manager Trafikverket has selected Pandrol`s

Fastclip FE preassembled Rail Fastening on Concrete Sleepers with
Pandrol`s Under-Sleeper Pads for use as a part of a 20-years-framework
contract for Strangbeton Rail and Abetong to supply around 400 000 concrete
sleepers per year:

11
 Pandrol Fast Clip; Pict. by F. Wingler

See technical Railway Paper by F.A. Wingler: Rail-Fastening Demands for

Semi High-Speed Rail Roads; http://www.drwingler.com.

HIGHLY ELASTIC RAIL-FASTENINGS

The Rail-Fastening Manufacturer Vossloh presented on the May 2017 iaf

Exhibition with the microcellular EPDM-Elastomer “CELLENTIC” an
innovative elastic material for Railfastening Pads. It ensures high stability
against many kinds of chemical attacks. The material provides excellent
resistance against temperature aging and weather conditions as well it is very
stable under permanent load. Cellentic components optimize the elasticity for
a reduction of vibration and the protection of track. The microcellular EPDM
based has a saturated primary polymer chain as its chemical structure. The
expanded, closed-cell structure ensures a particularly high elasticity. Its cell
configuration absorbs the load into its own structure therefore resulting in
marginal horizontal deformation/spreading with a high damping effect.
Conventional elastomers expand under load in length and width, resulting in
abrasion.

Its application is for rail-fastening as well on ballasted tracks as on slab-

tracks. Rail pads made from cellentic dampen vibrations and optimize the
elasticity of the gravel bed. This preserves the entire superstructure. Wear
on all track components including the gravel can be reduced. A
configuration with different stiffnesses between 20–200 kN/mm allows
cellentic rail pads to be used in nearly any application world-wide
(conventional rail, urban transport, and high-speed rail).

Slab track systems must meet special requirements to deflect forces into the
ground as smoothly and with as little load on the material as possible. The

12
highly elastic cellentic components of the rail fastening system ensure the
required elasticity for all load profiles (conventional rail, urban rail, high-speed
rail, and heavy haul). This involves the use of intermediate plates with
elasticities of 8 to 17 kN/mm.

Innovative indirect highly elastic Rail-Fastening System Vossloh DFF 336 NG

for urban Rail-Transport

LONG MILLED RAILS OF HIGH STEEL QUALITY

The worldwide trend is to provide long milled rails of a Steel Quality, for
which on-track Ultrasonic Testing becomes superfluous. Those modern long
milled rails get ultrasonic tested in the Steel Milling Factory and flash-butt
welded to panels of up-to 440 m. Long milled rails are prerequisites for Semi-
High Speed and High-Speed Rail Tracks. Every weld less in a track increases
the reliability.

Rail Trailer with Jindal Factory welded long Rail Panels (Londa, India); Pict. by F. Wingler

Proper supervised transport and handling during loading, unloading and

railing is essential for a high in-service quality:
13
TRENDS IN HIGH QUALITY RAIL WELDING

For on-track Rail-Welding the trend is to go for robotic Heavy-Duty On-Track

Flash-Butt Welding Machines superseding the AT Welding.

Full automatic On-Track Flash-Butt Welding with Plasser&Theurer ATP 500

The German Manufacturer Th. Goldschmidt presented on the last iaf,

Münster 2017 with the digitalized Systems SMARTWELD JET und
SMARTWELD RECORD the latest trend in Alumino-Thermic process
controlling of AT-Welding:

Digitalised Process Controlling of AT Rail Welding

14
SYNTHETIC FIBRE REINFORCED FOAMED URETHANE (FFU) WOOD
FOR SLEEPERS

FFU has been developed by Sekisui Chemical Co., Japan, as an effective

and long-living substitute for wooden sleepers. The material can be cut and
drilled like wood and has the same density as natural timber. It can be
manufactured as long logs, up to 24 m in length, which can be cut like wood
to the needed length. Until 2015 more than 1400 km track around the globe
have been laid with FFU as mono- or bi-block sleepers. The sleepers use
continuous glass-fibre reinforced rigid polyurethane foam as structural
material. They are used in Japan and Europe on Bridges and
Turnouts/Crossings capitalizing the low weight and the flexibility to design
different tailor made turnout geometries.

The holes for the fastening systems can be drilled to any needed geometry
requirements. The higher strength of “FFU-Timber” has made it possible to
capitalize in the higher strength of the synthetic material by installing thinner
sleepers of 100 to 120 mm thickness in order to reduce the height of the track
structure in a growing number of applications. Following advantages of FFU
Sleepers have been claimed over wooden sleepers:

● Long life-time → reduces total costs.

● Quick installation → reduces construction costs.
● Rapid track adequacy → meets speed-up policy.
● Easy care/repair → minimizes maintenance.
● Plenty of variations in design and length → allows optimum tailor made
designs.
● Ecology → bears social responsibility.

FFU Sleepers on Bridge

15
 Applications for FFU Sleepers

MANAGING THE MAIN COST-DRIVERS TURNOUTS/SWITCHES AND

CURVES

Turnouts/Switches/Crossings and Curves are main cost-drivers in maintaining

a railway. Innovative Switch Technology comprises stronger and sturdy
Tongue-Rails (Switch-Blades) moving lubrication free on Rolling Devices;
www.schwihag.com:

Lubrication free Switch Blade Rolling Device manufactured by Shwihag AG, Switzerland

Maintenance free Rollers; Pict. by F. Wingler

16
Sturdy modern Switch with curved Tongue-Rail (Switch Blade) moving on Roller; Pict. by
F. Wingler

The trend is to optimise the interacting Wheel/Rail-System for technological

Progress, Cost-Efficiency, Reliability and Safety under Life-Cycle Costs
considerations. This had been the topic of the last "ÖVG" International
Convention held in Salzburg, Austria, September 2015.

17
 I. FRICTION MANAGEMENT

Applying a high-performance lubrication medium can keep friction in a curve

at the interface between wheel-flange and gauge-face as low as practicable.
Curve-friction by angular wheel-trailing and wheel-slip can be reduced by
TOP-OF-RAIL LUBRICATION with Friction Modifiers. Rolling Contact
Fatigue can be substantially reduced. Hence the train curve-resistance is
lowered. By PREVENTIVE & TARGET RAIL GRINDING the optimal rail-
profiles for outer and inner curve-rail can be reached; see Dr. W. Schoech,
SPENO, Switzerland in RAILWAY GAZETTE, Jan. 2012, p.47:

Optimal Curve-Rail Profiles by Target Rail-Grinding for lower Friction

For automatic RAIL LUBRICATION see: LB Foster Friction Management,

USA, L.B. Foster Rail Products www.lbfoster-railproducts.com/ , download
brochure on FRICTION MANAGEMENT; see also Chapter 2 in INDIAN
RAILWAY TRACKS, which you find free for download on
http://www.drwingler.com. See also Chapter 3.8.1 on UNSYMMETRICAL
RAIL PROFILES IN TIGHT CURVES in the handbook TRACK
COMPENDIUM of B. Lichtberger, eurailpress, Hamburg, Germany, ISBN978-
7771-0421-8.

Automatic Wayside Top-of-Rail Lubrication with a Friction Modifier, LB Foster

18
 Automatic Wayside Rail-Corner Lubrication with a Friction Modifier, LB Foster

II. PREVENTIVE RAIL GRINDING

ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE (RCF) is a natural consequence of bodies in

rolling contact. It manifests itself in rails in the form of Gauge Corner Cracking
(GCC) and “Head-Checking”. While head-checking is located towards the
rail centre line, usually 15 to 25 mm from the gauge face, GCC, in contrast is
found at the gauge corner itself. The depth of the head-check damage is in
the range of 1-3 mm:

Head-Checks on Top of Rail

Essentially, any two bodies in rolling contact have the potential to damage
one another in several ways, depending upon the severity of the contact
pressure and the shear or “tearing” forces in the contact patch. The contact
patch in rail-wheel interaction is about the size of a 25 pence coin or 3 cm².

RCF is on increase since high tractive effort Locomotives with Insulated

Gate Bipolar Technology (IGBT) with three phase asynchronous AC
traction motors ply on tracks. The cause is most probably a torsion vibration
19
(about 80 Hz at 100 kmph). When the wheels roll over a rail, stress occurs in
the rail and may even exceed 1000 N/mm². Under such stress, the material
does not remain stable, but individual points of expansion are built up
resulting in cracks (called “Rachetting”). Damage can be in the form of
surface cracks, wearing away or plastic flow of the materials themselves.

Profitability studies have shown time and time again that it pays to have rails
ground on a regular basis. This practice increases rail life, reduces tamping
cycles, cuts ancillary material costs and ensures that wheels last longer -
especially where they are subjected to heavy loads. In fact, regular grinding
can even reduce the energy consumption of locomotives. All of which is
important for maintaining the profitability of railways.

Rails are precious and costly and very often the cost of the rail is a
determining factor for the price by kilometer of a track. Maintaining rails in
good condition for as long as possible is therefore an economical imperative.

In order to prevent the growth of rail-surface defects to become cracks in the

rails, the global trend is to grind the rails in intervals (Preventive Grinding);
see Paragraph 2.24 “RAIL GRINDING” in the Publication: Track
Engineering Compendium “INDIAN RAILWAY TRACKS” by J.S.
Mundrey/F.A. Wingler, 2016, free for download from the website:
http://www.drwingler.com .

Speno Rail Grinding Train

Grinding Stones of a Plasser&Theurer Rail Grinding Machine

20
 Vossloh High-Speed Rail Grinding Train

Grinding Stones of Vossloh High-Speed Rail Grinding Train

III. RAIL MILLING

The first recourse in rail maintenance is rail grinding. Rail milling, used when
rail damage is more severe, is the next option, followed finally by rail
replacement. Milling reaches deep into the rail, machining out rail defects that
are already well advanced. Rail milling is used when conventional grinding is
no longer economically viable. It can significantly delay having to remove and
21
replace rails, thus extending the rail‘s service life considerably. Precisely
controlled to within one tenth of a millimeter, rail milling is a cutting process
capable of removing up to 3 mm of metal in a single pass. Rail milling is a
good machining option for removing defects located deep in the rail, and can
often prevent rails from having to be replaced too soon. Rail milling restores
the rail‘s original profile. The milling machine optimizes the rail and re-profiles
it. The HPM machine by Vossloh and Austrian Maschinenfabrik Liezen, MLF,
achieves the previously unattainable non-stop milling speed of up to 2 km/h.

High Performance Rail Milling Wheel

MLF Rail Milling Machine RE P1 operating on Russian Railway Network

At the 2017 iaf Münster exhibition and trade show, ROBEL presented
prototypes of a new generation of Light Weight Grinding Machines for spot
grinding, which can be used with minimum effort and time expenditure. The
22
Hybrid Rail Head Profile Grinding Machine 13.49 HSK and the Hybrid Switch
Grinding Machine 13.63 HWS work with electric motors driven by a mobile,
separate Power Pack. The idea for the KERS Technology comes from
Formula 1 racing cars: The ROBEL Super-Capacitor stores surplus energy in
idle state of the grindstone and releases this energy for more performance
during the grinding process.

Due to the compact construction resulting out of this technology, the grinding
machines weigh just about 50 kg. Less mass in movement, less vibration,
precise grinding pattern and maximum flexibility – in case of the 13.63 HWS
the change of the grinding medium for re-profiling or burring takes less than
five minutes.

Third part of the new grinding task force is the universal 13.45 SKS Rail Head
Grinding Machine for rails and switches. The required rail guiding system is
changed without much effort directly at the worksite, the operator sets the
continuous spindle feed exactly like he needs it to achieve an optimal grinding
result:

Robel Grinding Tools

DATA COLLECTION FOR NETWORK-STATUS AUDITS/REPORTS AND

ASSET/INFRASTRUCTURE/MAINTENANCE, MANAGEMENT,
CONDITION MONITORING

Modern Railways prepare a Network-Status Report on the conditions of their

full network with regard to their assets behavior in order to provide
correlations with output quantities and the required financial recourses for
reinvestment in maintenance of assets and infrastructure. Such an audit
informs how healthy and excellent the system is and behaves.

Such a report enables the railway management to take informed decisions on

necessary works based on the actual condition and behavior of
23
assets/Infrastructures to make sound projections for needed funding and
budged provision.

The objective behind is to obtain a holistic view of assets behavior in terms of

functionality, safety and condition of all infrastructure assets. The data base
of the net-status report or audit is to serve as a tool for strategic decisions on
the provision of assets. This will ensure that the choice of measures and the
deployment of funds are better targeted than previously. The Austrian
Railway ÖBB is leading in this strategic planning tool.

PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES

Modern Track assets management strategies collect as many as possible

data as essential components for a PROACTIVE APROACH to ensure
predictability of infrastructure behaviour. Anticipation of futures behaviour has
great potential for shifting the focus of maintenance from “REACTIVE” to a
“PROREACTIVE” Policy. The vision of a future orientated maintenance is
based on the capability to identify damage before it actually develops to
become dangerous for traffic and costly for maintenance and repairs. The
basic of a proactive Life-Cycle Cost Management Approach is to define the
right intervention at the right time and to deal with the near future. Leading
Railways are the Austrian, Swiss and Germany Railway operating together
under the “DACH” (“Roof”) project. Since long “OVERALL LIFE-CYCLE
COSTS CONSIDERATIONS” are ruling over Investment, Repair,
Maintenance and Renewal of leading world Railways. Much money can be
saved, if the live span of a track and its assets can be elongated.

The British Network Rail is currently transitioning to a predictive and

preventive infrastructure management strategy; see BECOMING A
PREDICT-AND-PREVENT RAILWAY in International Railway Journal, May
2017, Volume 57, Issue 5, page 24.

ONLINE DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING TRAIN BASED IN-

SERVICE MONITORING for TARGET PLANING OF MAINTENANCE

The prerequisite for a proactive Life-Cycle Cost Management Approach with

the evolution of the development prognosis is the all-encompassing data
collection of the continuous online condition monitored on all track assets;
see K.U.Wolter et. al. in Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau, ETR, 7+8, p. 32-
36, 2014, eurailpress, Hamburg, Germany.

Fitting monitoring equipments to commercially operating trains to provide an

in-depth analysis of track conditions is increasingly common: see FROM

24
DATA CRUNCHING TO PRVENTIVE TRACK MAINTENANCE in
International Railway Journal, May 2017, Volume 57, Issue 5, page 52.

The traditionally strategy of Railways and infrastructure managers is to

measure regularly track geometry to identify irregularities and inform
maintenance works. This data is retrieved by dedicated track inspection
vehicles. Recent trend is to deploy on commercially operated trains
measurement devices, increasing the frequency of measurements. By using
scheduled trains, infrastructure managers can retrieve inspection data every
day. Margin of error can be evaluated in a predictive way.

Japan Railways Kyushu 800 High Speed Train fitted to Car Body and Bogies with
Equipments providing Data on Track Conditions

Track measuring devices mounted on Kyushu 800 High Speed Train

The continuous surveillance of Rail Tracks with Recording and Monitoring

Systems mounted on regularly running trains is on increasing focus. The
Institute for Transport System Technology of the German Aerospace Centre
(DLR) conducts the development of modern Data Management Systems for

25
collecting, transferring and telemetry. The data must be precisely geo-
referenced according the track locations. On lines with sufficient global
satellite reception the monitoring cars communicate directly with the central
databank. The data can also be locally stored and transmitted in intervals by
WILAN over the internet at Stations or Depots. For lower data volumes the
mobile telephone networks can be used. The System is under trial on Swiss
Sections; Lars Johannes et. al. in DER EISENBAHNINGENIEUR, EI, 11,
November 2015, p. 12, eurailpress.

The “Continuous Track Alignment Parameter Monitoring” in programmes for

TRAIN BASED IN-SERVICE MONITORING for TARGET PLANING OF
MAINTENANCE make use of NEWTON`s Law Mechanics.

Newton`s FIRST LAW suggests that any change of velocity of a body under
consideration must be associated with the counter-action of a resultant force,
which acts on his body. This in turn suggests a relationship between the
resultant force and the acceleration of the body. Newton assumed by his
SECOND LAW the very simple relation that the resultant force, which acts on
the body and causes acceleration, is linear related. The THIRD LAW is the
LAW OF ACTION AND REACTION. It states that to every action or force
there is an equal and opposite reaction or force. In other words, when a body
(rail- vehicle) exerts a force on a second body (rail-track), in consequence the
second body (rail-track) exerts a numerically equal but opposite force on the
first body (rail vehicle). The laws are useful to analyse mutual track-vehicle
interactions and to determine track irregularities and track defects by vehicle
mounted ACCELEROMETERS. This means, by measuring vehicle
accelerations, the cause in form of track irregularities can be determined. And
by continuous track monitoring with repeated runs over the same track, the
development of track-defects and track-irregularities, the development over
the time of such defects and irregularities, can be measured and the point of
necessary interaction by repair or maintenance can be forecasted.

Online Data Collection from Accelerometer and Gyroscope Rotation Sensors mounted
on a Bogie of a German Federal Railway Express Train Locomotive
26
German Railways equipped one of its Intercity Express Trains with
acceleration- and rotation-gyroscope sensors mounted on the axle-box for
transmitting during scheduled train runs in-service monitoring data of vertical
and horizontal alignment defects as so-called “TRAIN BASED IN SERVICE
MONITORING for TARGET PLANING OF MAINTENANCE”. This ICE
transmits daily the acceleration rates cum position on its route. The computer
evaluates a history diagram, from which a forecast for the further deterioration
rate can be estimated. Through the wheel/bogie acceleration rates values
measured by Axle-Box mounted Accelerometers and gyroscopic
Measurement Sensors the running trains will transmit in future to the
Permanent Way Engineer the telemetric data of developing track defects with
their exact location in his jurisdiction, how the defects develop with the time
and with what rates (dynamic of deterioration) under given traffic load. The
Track Engineer will get alarm, when he will have to interfere by repair or
maintenance. This method includes also the monitoring of turnouts.

The standard Indian ICF passenger coaching stocks of Indian Railways are
commissioned for a maximal speed of 110 kmph. The new stocks of LHB
coaches, commissioned for 160 kmph, with the Bombardier/Fiat Bogies, have
a different oscillation frequency, and the vertical and horizontal sways are
better damped; see Paragraph 20.12.4. of the handbook, J.S. Mundrey / F.A.
Wingler INDIAN RAILWAY TRACKS, which you find free for download on
the website: http://www.drwingler.com.

The problem with the standard passenger coaches is the “nosing” in

resonance with horizontal track alignment irregularities of welded 13 m rail
panels. If one sleeps in a sleeper coach at one of the ends, one get often
terrible disturbed by these oscillating horizontal movements (nosing jerks). In
response according Newton’s Third Law: “ACTIO = REACTIO” the track
alignment gets lateral and horizontal disturbed. The nosing of the Indian
standard passenger coaches is a big problem for the IR Tracks. The
remedies are longer milled rails, better aligned welds and new longer
coaches with better damped more track friendly bogies. But exchanging the
fleet of a stock of over 1 lakh cannot be performed in short period. On
LWR/CWR, constituting of welded 13 m rails (often poor aligned welds),
Speed Increase is hampered because of the track unfriendly running quality
of the standard coaching stocks on LWR/CWR`s consisting of welded 13 m
rails.

Not the longer new LHB coaches with Fiat type bogies disturb the track at up
to 150 kmph, but the old standard ICF coaches running max. 110 kmph are
the track distorting culprits when running at the lower speed of 80 to 90 kmph.

Following the “NEWTON`S LAW MECHANISM” the acceleration rate ‘g’

values can be measured by an accelerometer, positioned as close as
possible over the centre of the bogie or better direct on the axle box. They
transmit INDICES for the TRACK DISTORTING FORCES the rolling stocks
27
are exerting onto the rails. If a value of 0.35 ‘g’ for the horizontal acceleration
is measured, this means that at the relevant speed a 120 tons locomotive will
exert with its relevant bogie a horizontal (lateral) counter vector-force of 60 x
0.35 x 10 = 210 kN onto the rail (note that 1 metric ton generates a force of
say 10 kN). The cumulative track torturing forces of consecutive running
trains can print dangerous UNDULATIONS into the track. Once this self-
destroying Rail-Wheel process had been initiated by a certain degree of
lateral and horizontal track distortion, the deterioration process continues with
increasing (logarithmical) rate (velocity). Short wave length undulations are
therefore the most dangerous. Measuring of accelerometer indices with
schedule passenger trains is a most valuable, effective, cheap and easy
mode in order to describe the quality, state-of-affairs and the development of
defects over the time. The positioning can be determined with GPS location
detection.

According US Standards, horizontal acceleration indices over 0.35 ‘g’ and

vertical indices over 0.5 ‘g’ of rolling stocks, especially of heavy locomotives,
are regarded as unhealthy for a track.

Since the acceleration rates are speed-dependent, train-speed has to be

reduced, when the rates become intolerable high. What counts is not so
much the absolute value in mm of a misalignment measured by a TRACK
RECORDING CAR, but what counts is the effect of the misalignment or track
defect on the running wheel at given train speed, how the wheels jump over
the defects and respond with what acceleration and deceleration values (in
terms of corresponding extra impression forces measured in [MN/m²] inflicting
according the Newton`s Law Mechanism further damage to the track in
vertical as well in horizontal directions. The DYNAMICS of the Rolling
Stocks on the Track is what counts!!

REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE APPROACH TO TRACK MAINTENANCE

In the paper “Reactive to Proactive Approach to Track Maintenance on

Indian Railways”, presented on the last International Technical IPWE
Seminar, held 12th & 13th January 2017 at Mumbai, in Session I, Paper No.
12, Mr. J.S. Mundrey, Consultant in Track Technology/Formerly Advisor Civil
Engineering, Railway Board, pointed out (www.ipwe2017mumbai.in):

Advanced Railway Systems are shifting the focus of Track Maintenance from
"REACTIVE" to "PROACTIVE" domain. This system is based on the capability
to identify defects for their planned rectification much before they need any panic
intervention, presently possible with sophisticated computer aided techniques. In
the last 2015 "ÖVG" international convention held in Salzburg, Austria, was
deliberated upon, through 25 high quality technical papers presented by track
experts from Europe, America, Canada, Australia and Japan.

28
 .
From the information gathered from the conventionx), the steps that can be taken on
Indian Railways to upgrade their system, have been suggested in this paper, both in
respect to reduce the Track Design Deficiencies and upgrade the Track
Maintenance Methodologies.

x) The author had the privilege to attend this top level ÖVG convention
together with J.S. Mundrey in September 2015.

The full paper of J.S. Mundrey you will find in the Annexure.

IN CONCLUSION:

What ails Indian Railways is not a lack in indigenous expert`s knowledge in

current global trends in Track Technologies and fast paced Construction. The
previous annual IPWE Seminars reveal that this knowledge is in India at
hand.

What ails Indian Railways are

• insufficient Capital Investment Schemes of long-term certainty,

• lack of an appropriate large park with well serviced and maintained

Heavy-Duty Track Machineries and modern Track Tools,

• lack of well trained and studied Operators and (Civil)Engineers for

Planning, Logistics, Field Works, Inspection and Supervision,

• lack of well-paid and well trained Manpower,

• lack of capable private Track Construction & Engineering Companies

well equipped with Heavy-Duty Track Machineries,

• limited Training and Education Capacity,

• inadequate provision of lengthy traffic blocks for maintenance and

repairs,

• Track Quality not matching the Traffic Load on several routes resulting
in increasing numbers of Derailment Disasters killing and injuring
hundreds of train passengers.

29
 ANNEXURE

,3:(,QWHUQDWLRQDO7HFKQLFDO6HPLQDUKHOGRQWK WK-DQXDU\DW0XPEDL

&KDOOHQJHVLQ'HVLJQDQG0DLQWHQDQFHRI7UDFNXQGHUPL[HG
7UDIILF5HJLPHRI6HPL+LJK6SHHGDQG+HDY\$[OH/RDG
6HVVLRQ,3DSHU

Reactive to Proactive Approach to

Track Maintenance on Indian Railways
Synopsis J .S. Mundrey*
Advanced Railway Systems are shifting the focus of Track Maintenance from
"REACTIVE" to "PROACTIVE" domain. This system is based on the capability to
identify defects for their planned rectification much before they need any panic
intervention, presently possible with sophisticated computer aided techniques.
In the last "ÖVG" international convention held in Salzburg, Austria, attended
by delegates from over 50 countries, the subject of Track Maintenance was
deliberated upon, through 25 high quality technical papers presented by track experts
from Europe, America, Canada, Australia and Japan. The author had the privilege to
participate at this top level 7rack Technology Convention.
From the information gathered from the convention, the steps that can be taken
on
* Indian Railways to upgrade their system, have been suggested in this paper, both
in respect to reducH the Track Design Deficiencies and upgradH the Track
Maintenance Methodologies.

&RQVXOWDQWLQ7UDFN7HFKQRORJ\)RUPHUO\$GYLVRU&LYLO(QJLQHHULQJ5DLOZD\%RDUG

 )LJ7UDFN6WUXFWXUH

JUDGH

D
3&"$5*7& 130"$5*7&


 LV

2Q,5
%


UHPDLQVWKHUHIRUH



 D R
6

0DFKLQHV

0DFKLQHV

5DLO

WR

ZKLFK


UHDFWLYH

D RQ,5

)LJ.H\0DQSDWUROOLQJRQ,5
7UDFNDQXQSURWHFWHG(QYL
URPHQW


UHDFWLYHWRSUHYHQWLYHPRGHWKHUHE\EULQJLQJ

RQ

LV


P

)LJ

)LJ0RELOH0DLQWHQDQFH8QLW5REHO
SURDFWLYH
LV

SURDFWLYH



  W


6XSHU6WUXFWXUH

SURDFWLYH

)LJ3ODVVHU 7KHXUHU$375
5RERWLF)ODVK%XWW:HOGLQJ0DFKLQH


  )LJ

U
SURDFWLYH

0
)LJ
SURDFWLYH

)LJ9RVVORK+LJK6SHHG5DLO*ULQGLQJ0DFKLQH

SURDFWLYH


 XQGHUD
SURDFWLYH

SODQQHGSURDFWLYHPDQQHU
&RQFUHWH6OHHSHUV)DVWHQLQJ&RPSRQHQWVDQG6OHHSHUV

)LJ


SURDFWLYHEDVHV
7UDFN6XEVWUXFWXUH

)LJ8QGHU6OHHSHU3DGs


 ZRUN

7
)LJ

)LJ*URXQGSHQHWUDWLQJ5DGDU
)LJ

XVLQJ

)LJ+HDY\'XW\2Q7UDFN)RUPDWLRQ
5HKDELOLWDWLRQ0DFKLQH

 KDYHWDNHQ

SURDFWLYH


 

FROG:HDWKHU


 )LJ


)LJ5DLO6FDQ(TXLSPHQW

)LJ
V

)LJ'URQHIRU7UDFN3DWUROOLQJ


 IRU WRPRYHIURP5HDFWLYHWR

130"$5*7&

U 


 

SURDFWLYH

 DSURDFWLYHDQGSUHGLFWLYH


 

&RQFUHWH6OHHSHUV)DVWHQLQJVDQG%DOODVW


SURDFWLYH

SURDFWLYHUHJLPH

)LJ

  )LJ8QGHUJURXQG'UDLQ

7UDFN3DWUROOLQJ


 

6XPPLQJXS


 SURDFWLYH

3&"$5*7& 130"$5*7&

E\FRXUWHV\RI3O. 7K.

63.

UIF
.VMUJUBMFOU
4VCHSBEF
3FIBCJMJUBUJPO
.BDIJOF
CZ
1MBTTFS5IFVSFS