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Reliability improvement of railway infrastructure

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The railway transportation system is fundamental in sustaining the economic activities of a
country, by providing a safe, reliable and relatively affordable means of transporting people and
goods; hence, the need to ensure its ongoing reliability is of paramount importance. The principle
and applications of rail reliability have been reviewed, and reliability improvement in rail
infrastructure has been investigated using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA).
Reliability improvement is a continuous process that is geared to meeting dynamic changes in
operation and stakeholders’ expectations. Recently, growth has occurred in the amount of rail
transport traffic utilisation undertaken, together with the degradation of the infrastructure
involved. Such deterioration has amplified the operating risks, leading to an inadequacy in rail
track maintenance and inspection that should have kept abreast with the changes. The result has
been increased rail failures, and subsequent derailments.
A case study of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) Metrorail maintenance
policy was reviewed to evaluate its maintenance strategy and identifying the potential critical
failure modes, so as to be able to recommend improvement of its reliability, and, thus, its
availability. On the basis of the case study of PRASA Metrorail maintenance strategy and its
performance, it is recommended that PRASA Metrorail change its maintenance policy through
employing a cluster maintenance strategy for each depot. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die spoorwegvervoerstelsel is fundamenteel om die ekonomiese bedrywighede van ’n land te
ondersteun deur die voorsiening van ’n veilige, betroubare en betreklik bekostigbare manier om
mense en goedere te vervoer. Dus is dit van die allergrootste belang om die voortgesette
betroubaarheid daarvan te verseker. Die beginsels en toepassings van spoorbetroubaarheid is
hersien en die betroubaarheidsverbetering van spoorinfrastruktuur met behulp van foutmodus-eneffekontleding
(“FMEA”) ondersoek.
Betroubaarheidsverbetering is ’n voortdurende proses om tred te hou met dinamiese
bedryfsveranderinge sowel as verskuiwings in belanghebbendes se verwagtinge. Die hoeveelheid
spoorvervoerverkeer het onlangs beduidend toegeneem, terwyl die betrokke infrastruktuur
agteruitgegaan het. Dié agteruitgang het die bedryfsrisiko’s verhoog, en lei tot ontoereikende
spoorweginstandhouding en -inspeksie, wat veronderstel was om met die veranderinge tred te
gehou het. Dit gee aanleiding tot ’n toename in spoorwegfoute en gevolglike ontsporing.
’n Gevallestudie is van die instandhoudingsbeleid van die Passasierspooragentskap van Suid-
Afrika (PRASA) Metrorail onderneem om dié organisasie se instandhoudingstrategie te
beoordeel en die moontlike kritieke foutmodusse te bepaal. Die doel hiermee was om
verbeteringe in stelselbetroubaarheid en dus ook stelselbeskikbaarheid voor te stel. Op grond van
die gevallestudie van die PRASA Metrorail-instandhoudingstrategie en -prestasie, word daar
aanbeveel dat PRASA Metrorail sy instandhoudingsbeleid verander deur ’n
klusterinstandhoudingsplan vir elke depot in werking te stel.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97047
Date03 1900
CreatorsJidayi, Yakubu Mara
ContributorsFourie, C. J., Vlok, P. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Formatxiv, 128 pages : illustrations
RightsStellenbosch University

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