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Systematic risk-analysis to support a living maintenance programme for railway infrastructure

Peter Söderholm (University of Technology, Quality Technology and Management Maintenance Department, The Swedish Transport Administration, Luleå, Sweden)
Terje Nilsen (Transportation Department, Lloyd’s Register Consulting, Kjeller, Norway)

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering

ISSN: 1355-2511

Article publication date: 14 August 2017

419

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe an application of an effective risk-based methodology to support a living maintenance programme for railway infrastructure.

Design/methodology/approach

The overall research strategy is a single case study of switches and crossings at the Iron Ore Line in northern Sweden. The analysis was performed as a risk workshop guided by a methodology that integrates reliability-centred maintenance and barrier analysis.

Findings

The applied methodology is valuable to systematise and improve the existing maintenance programme, as well as supporting a continued living maintenance programme.

Research limitations/implications

The single case study approach may decrease the validity of the achieved results. However, similar case studies corroborate the results, which affect the validity in a positive way.

Practical implications

The resulting maintenance programme is effective, through compliance with external requirements, and more efficient, through improvements of tasks and intervals.

Social implications

An enhanced railway infrastructure maintenance programme contributes to improved safety, punctuality, and costs. Hence, railway becomes a more attractive mode of transport. Thereby, it also supports a safety performance of the railway that society is willing to pay for.

Originality/value

Significant improvements of the maintenance programme are achieved through adjustment of inspection intervals and tasks. The results also support the development of indicators, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Lloyd’s Register and Trafikverket for supporting this work both intellectually and financially.

Citation

Söderholm, P. and Nilsen, T. (2017), "Systematic risk-analysis to support a living maintenance programme for railway infrastructure", Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 326-340. https://doi.org/10.1108/JQME-09-2016-0042

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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