The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden
Efficient and seamless railway operations depend on the systematic and well-coordinated maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure. However, track maintenance, or ‘trackwork’, can cause substantial delays if not properly aligned with train schedules. This study comprehensively investigates...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/1/125 |
| _version_ | 1827384925559455744 |
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| author | Daria Ivina Carl-William Palmqvist |
| author_facet | Daria Ivina Carl-William Palmqvist |
| author_sort | Daria Ivina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Efficient and seamless railway operations depend on the systematic and well-coordinated maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure. However, track maintenance, or ‘trackwork’, can cause substantial delays if not properly aligned with train schedules. This study comprehensively investigates how trackwork influences train operations in Sweden. It involves an in-depth analysis of an extensive dataset comprising over 225,000 recorded instances of planned trackwork and approximately 32.5 million train passages throughout the year 2017. Multiple logistic and negative binomial regression models showed that train running time delay occurrence is higher in the sections with scheduled trackwork. Trains passing through trackwork are 1.43 times more likely to experience delays compared to trains that do not pass through scheduled trackwork. The likelihood of an opportunity for the train delay recovery passing the section with scheduled trackwork is reduced by 11%. Additionally, the frequency of train delay increase is 16% higher, and delayed recovery is 4% lower in relation to trackwork. With the number of trackwork set to increase over the coming years, these results bring attention to train scheduling and the performance of trackwork. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:12:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f33367cbd9d4fbf89153ecdfda008af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:12:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f33367cbd9d4fbf89153ecdfda008af2024-01-10T14:51:01ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-12-0114112510.3390/app14010125The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in SwedenDaria Ivina0Carl-William Palmqvist1Department of Technology and Society, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, SwedenDepartment of Technology and Society, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, SwedenEfficient and seamless railway operations depend on the systematic and well-coordinated maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure. However, track maintenance, or ‘trackwork’, can cause substantial delays if not properly aligned with train schedules. This study comprehensively investigates how trackwork influences train operations in Sweden. It involves an in-depth analysis of an extensive dataset comprising over 225,000 recorded instances of planned trackwork and approximately 32.5 million train passages throughout the year 2017. Multiple logistic and negative binomial regression models showed that train running time delay occurrence is higher in the sections with scheduled trackwork. Trains passing through trackwork are 1.43 times more likely to experience delays compared to trains that do not pass through scheduled trackwork. The likelihood of an opportunity for the train delay recovery passing the section with scheduled trackwork is reduced by 11%. Additionally, the frequency of train delay increase is 16% higher, and delayed recovery is 4% lower in relation to trackwork. With the number of trackwork set to increase over the coming years, these results bring attention to train scheduling and the performance of trackwork.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/1/125railway infrastructure maintenancetrain delays analysistrackwork schedulingSwedish railway systemregression analysis |
| spellingShingle | Daria Ivina Carl-William Palmqvist The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden Applied Sciences railway infrastructure maintenance train delays analysis trackwork scheduling Swedish railway system regression analysis |
| title | The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden |
| title_full | The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden |
| title_fullStr | The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden |
| title_short | The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden |
| title_sort | downside of upkeep analysing railway infrastructure maintenance impact on train operations in sweden |
| topic | railway infrastructure maintenance train delays analysis trackwork scheduling Swedish railway system regression analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/1/125 |
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