SBB Standard Elements with prolonged Service Lives

Increasing train numbers and high expectations on punctuality in an already densed used railway network put pressure on infrastructure management: while asset deterioration increases available time slots for inspection, maintenance, and renewals of infrastructure assets get more and more limited. One of the negative consequenences is increasing unit costs of track works. In Switzerland, track renewal costs per metre reached such a high level that prolonging service life with intensified maintenance is a realsistic and economic feasible option. These maintenance actions are expensive as they treat the components ballast and sleepers. Together with the SBB colleagues we set up new working cycles for the existing set of Standard Elements. Under certain boundary conditions, these prolonged cycles lead to lower Life Cycle Costs and thus will find their way into the strategic asset management.