INDIAN RAILWAY TRACKS a TRACK ENGINEERING COMPENDIUM
The collection of chapters is based on an elaboration of the drafts of J.S. Mundrey, Rail Consult India, for the forthcoming 5th Edition of the book RAILWAY TRACK ENGINEERING. The collection is the result of intensive revision and modification works. Several new modern aspects, updated information, illustrating and delineating pictures, many re-designed and glossed up graphs and figures as well corrected and re-arranged tablets had been incorporated. The challenge had been, to bring the drafts of Mr. J.S. Mundrey into a uniform, user and reader friendly and as well in an economical compacted book edition.
As far as possible, the physical/technical measurements have been uniformly converted into International Standards of Units (ISU). The conversation rates for the outdated units into ISU`s are given.
The Austrian Track Machinery Manufacturer Plasser&Theurer has to be thanked for sponsoring and for the contribution of high quality picture material of Heavy-Duty and High-Performance On-Track-Machineries.
Although the elaboration contents many modern aspects, methodologies, standards and systems of other world railways, Mr. J.S. Mundrey has predominantly mend his work to cater for Indian Track Men in their daily duties. The publication serves also to teach and train Permanent Way Men and to help Decision Makers. Permanent Way Men of other World Railways in developing countries, especially on the Indian Subcontinent, in Middle and Far East, Africa, Saudi Arabia and Australia will find this compendium helpful in fulfilling their daily duties and in finding solutions.
The Message of the Compendium is: Rail-Track Quality is no Luxury. Rail-Track Quality cuts Overall Life Cycle Costs and reduces the Risk of fatal Derailment-Accidents.
Modern Rail-Tracks demand modern proactive and preventive maintenance management strategies and methodologies. The all-important RAIL-WHEEL System has to be optimized.
Track Quality has to match the traffic load the track has to carry. To achieve Track Quality modern Track Monitoring Systems and Heavy-Duty and High-Performance On-Track-Machinery are of all-importance.
The Track Deterioration Rate – the loss of stability, bearing capacity and geometry/alignment parameters over the time under given traffic load – is a direct indicator for the TRACK-QUALITY. A low quality track deteriorates by far faster than a high quality track and is therefore by far more costly to maintain and repair. OVER-ALL LIFE CYCLE COSTS CONSIDERATIONS are nowadays a key-issue of railways over the globe in maintaining their rail services in an economical way. Quality demands a high input in investment costs of long-term certainty, which will pay off over the time.
Constructing NEW RAILWAY LINES is a big challenge for India. Future nasty accidents can be anticipated by appropriate design and construction of the alignments, cuttings, bridges, abutments, tunnels to become safe from the beginning or at an early stage. This is often hampered by not adequate funds for the projects. Important and prestigious projects are linking the Kashmir Valley Railway with the national grid from the rail-head Katra, the construction of new rail infrastructure in the North-East Frontier States, the Dedicated East and West Freight Corridors for high axle-load and the envisaged High-Speed Lines.
To learn more, download the January 2018 updated digital edition of INDIAN TRACK COMPENDIUM