Track Technology for Reducing Maintenance Cost and Labor

Abstract

From the viewpoint of safe train operation, railway tracks must be kept in a satisfactory condition by appropriate track inspection and maintenance activities. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of good management, it is necessary to develop track technologies for cost reduction of both track inspection and maintenance. In the development of these technologies, research needs to focus on automation and labor-saving advances by applying ICT and AI techniques, which have progressed significantly in recent years. This paper describes RTRI's recent R&D for these track technologies.