Condensed Maintenance

The project Condensed Maintenance was carried out in cooperation with ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG to develop a data-driven and optimized approach for planning one of the most critical railway maintenance activities: leveling, lining, and tamping. The project addresses the growing challenges faced by European rail networks, where increasing traffic volumes, limited maintenance windows, and accelerated track degradation place significant pressure on existing infrastructure.
The core objective was to establish a systematic tamping planning process that integrates technical constraints with economic considerations. A track geometry deterioration model was developed using extensive historical data, allowing the prediction of post-tamping quality and degradation behavior depending on sleeper type, load, and pre-intervention condition. Based on this model, adaptive, behavior-dependent intervention thresholds were introduced, enabling more effective tamping actions that extend track service life and improve long-term quality.
To ensure operational feasibility, a segmentation algorithm was implemented to group track sections into longer, homogeneous tamping segments while respecting geometric constraints. A prioritization framework then ranks candidate sections according to technical urgency and operational relevance. Application to selected Austrian railway lines demonstrated higher track quality, longer tamping sections, increased productivity, and reduced maintenance costs compared to current practice.