Railway switches and crossings reliability analysis

Switches and crossings (S&Cs) connect the rail network, guiding trains from one track to another and supporting path crossing. They are critical systems given the frequency of their functional failure and the consequences on the operation, cost and safety of railway transportation. Reliability studies are required to support the transport objective of providing dependable, sustainable and cost effective transportation. The main objective of this study is to assess the reliability characteristics of S&Cs based on field data collection. As field failure data have censored nature, commercial packages have not been satisfactory for processing them; therefore, the study uses a special statistical software package RDAT® (Reliability Data Analysis Tool). The availability of the studied switches and crossings is estimated based on the estimated reliability characteristics. The results show the availability of the S&Cs varies between x and y. This is useful information, as it helps the contractor plan and schedule maintenance. It also helps the asset owner to identify units whose performance is below the desired target and to make replacement decisions.