Overview of wheel/rail interface management in the Queensland Coal fields: A track perspective

Scott Riedel

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Summary

This presentation provides an overview of the management of the wheel / rail interface in Aurizon’s Central Queensland Coal Network (CQCN), in Australia. In particular, it highlights some of the changes in rail management in response to the need to deliver bulk freight tonnages as they move from 180 Million Net Tonnes per annum (MNT pa) to 260 MNT pa over the next 4 years.

This paper takes an operational view citing the practical limits used on a heavy haul railway to deliver commercial, sustainable outcomes. It identifies a four tiered approach based on:

• Preventative rail profile grinding: including grinding frequencies and rail and wheel profiles.
• A long term rail replacement strategy based on cross sectional rail measurements and ultrasonic rail testing: including rail wear limits and rail defect limits.
• Rail lubrication: including the logic behind the choice of location, lubricator type and lubricant.
• Wheel impact detectors and weighbridges: including impact and overload limits.