Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The decline of the passenger rail transport system of South Africa over the past two decades has left the passenger rail industry in a difficult position. The most significant impact has been the deterioration of the physical assets. Due to the renewed focus by government on passenger rail transport, the need for improving the physical asset management has been recognised. Physical asset management manifests itself through the application of strategies. The need for new and/or updated strategies was identified and summarily examined. Through the initial literature study, it was found that strategies are founded on the specific maintenance policy of an organisation. The application of the new/updated strategies was intended to take place at Metrorail. An investigation at Metrorail revealed the lack of any significant policy that is required to develop any new strategies. This discovery led to a shift in focus from the development of new strategies to the development of a physical asset management policy. A generic policy statement called Requirement-­‐based Asset Management (RAM) was developed, with its primary focus being the conducting of maintenance activities based on the requirements of the organisation, the employees, the asset and the customer. In order to evaluate the suitability of RAM, a strategic roadmap was developed based on the policy statement and validated in three areas of Metrorail. These three areas were the wheel set maintenance system, the Top 7 fault evaluation procedure and the scheduled maintenance cycle of the train sets. The application procedure concluded that the roadmap and thus by deduction RAM are suitable for the Metrorail environment. RAM can be used to develop/improve an organisation’s physical asset management policy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die agteruitgang van die vervoerspoorwegstelsel vir passasiers gedurende die afgelope twee dekades in Suid-­‐Afrika het hierdie bedryf in ‘n moeilike posisie geplaas. Die mees beduidende impak van hierdie verwaarlosing is die agteruitgang van die instandhouding van fisiese bates. Die regering se hernuwe fokus op die vervoer van passasiers per spoor het gelei tot die herkenning van die behoefte aan verbeterde bestuur van fisiese bates. Die bestuur van fisiese bates word gemanifesteer deur die toepassing van strategieë. ‘n Behoefte aan nuwe en/of opgedateerde strategieë is geïdentifiseer en nagevors. Die aanvanklike literatuurstudie het bevind dat strategieë op ‘n organisasie se spesifieke instandhoudingsbeleid gebaseer is en die toepassing van hierdie nuwe en/of opgedateerde strategieë is beplan by Metrorail. ‘n Gebrek aan ‘n noemenswaardige beleid wat vereis word vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe strategieë is by Metrorail gevind. Hierdie bevinding het ‘n fokusverskuiwing tot gevolg gehad – van die ontwikkeling van nuwe strategieë na die ontwikkeling van ‘n bestuursbeleid vir fisiese bates. ‘n Generiese beleidsverklaring genaamd “Requirement-­‐based Asset Management” (RAM), met die primêre fokus op instandhoudingsaktiwiteite, is ontwikkel en is gebaseer op die behoeftes van die organisasie, die werknemers, bates en kliënte. ‘n Strategiese metodologie wat op die beleidsverklaring gebaseer is, is ontwikkel om die geskiktheid van die RAM te evalueer en is dit in drie areas van Metrorail gevalideer. Hierdie drie areas sluit in die instandhoudingstelsel vir wielstelle, die prosedures betrokke by die evaluasie van die sewe mees beduidende foute, en die geskeduleerde instandhoudingsiklus van die treinstelle. Deur die toepassingsprosedure is die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die metodologie, en gevolglik die RAM, geskik is vir die Metrorail-­‐omgewing. Die RAM kan dus gebruik word vir die ontwikkeling en/of verbetering van ‘n organisasie se bestuursbeleid vir fisiese bates.