“Challenges in Design and Maintenance of Track under Mixed Traffic Regime of Semi High-Speed and heavy Axle-Load”
had been the topic of the International Technical IPWE Seminar held 12th & 13th January 2017 at Mumbai. The topic is an appeal to the ingenuity and skills of Indian Track Engineers and Experts to make tracks fit to match with the increasing strain and stress exerted by an increased Axle-Load of Freight-Trains up to 25 t running under a mixed Traffic Scheme on the same route together with Passenger-Trains of different Speed-Profiles, of 80 to 110 kmph speed-band and of 130 to 160 kmph speed-band, latter for so-called “Semi High-Speed Trains”.
For such a “Mixed Traffic Scheme” the additional demands on Track & Rolling Stock Technologies, Logistics, Infrastructures, Assets, Signalling Systems, Maintenance-Strategies and on Certainty for Long-Term Capital Investment-Schemes are exorbitant high.
On its network, Indian Railways have a huge backlog in maintenance and safety related rectifying works.
The possibilities and methods to increase the freight transport capacity and to shorten the journey time for train-passengers in the Axle-Load Range of 16 to 21.5 t and in the Speed Band of 80 to 130 kmph are not completely outbidden yet.
Considering the fact
that under the constraints of capital investments, allocated funds, financial recourses and under logistic/organizational bottlenecks, Indian Railways have to struggle hard to keep its rail network in sound condition in order to keep low the number of killed and injured train-passengers in unwanted nasty Derailment-Disasters (since 2014 on increase) due to in-service failures of Rolling Stocks, Tracks and Infrastructures,
- see Technical Papers HOW MUCH SAFETY ON INDIAN RAILWAYS, PART I, II & III and INDIAN RAILWAYS ON A RISKY COURSE, free for download from the website: http://www.drwingler.com <>
it might be more prudent first of all to increase the transport- and route-capacity and to shorten the station to station journey time by upgrading and enhancement of Traffic Management, Logistics, Infrastructures, Assets, Track-Layouts, by deployment of modern state-of-the-art Signalling Systems with Automatic Train Protection and by deployment of faster accelerating and track friendlier Light Weight Multiple Unites – without increasing the Axle-Load for Freight Trains and introducing additional “Semi High-Speed” Trains.
To know more, download:
Demands for Mixed Traffic Scheme