Questions to the paper Veit/Wogowitsch
Fritz, VAE Zeltweg, Austria
That the quality or the properties of the vehicles should be included in the infrastructure usage fee is clear. Shouldn’t the quality of the track also be taken into consideration?
Answer
The highest quality of the track lies in the own interest of the Business Sector Track because this makes possible the most cost-favourable and economical maintenance. This means that an economical regulating circuit exists for the track which is currently missing for the vehicles.
Mundrey, Consultant, India
Up to what age is the welding of existing jointed tracks justifiable?
Answer
Generally it can be said that up to around half the estimated service life of the jointed track the welding of existing track with fishplated joints will bring economic advantages.
Wenty, Plasser & Theurer, Austria
Under what conditions is a ballast bed cleaning after half the service life of the track economically questionable?
Answer
For the so-called “intermediate ballast bed cleaning” after around 15 years track life there is no economic justification if there are good substructure conditions and good track ballast. On the other hand, even with these good conditions, a ballast bed cleaning should of course also be integrated into the process of track renewal. However, in the event of unsatisfactory ballast quality and/or substructure quality, additional ballast bed cleaning is unavoidable.
Riessberger, TU Graz, Austria
The previously presumed advantages of the combination of maintenance processes in one single track possession could now be proven quantitatively. This represents a challenge for the entire permanent way economy and concerns both the organisation and the development of output co-ordinated machines and this constitutes for the entire business sector in the mean-term a goal worth striving for.
Questions to the paper Presle
Mundrey, Constultant, India
Have you changed the permissible track tolerances to achieve a better cost-efficiency?
Answer
The tolerances for the safe interaction of wheelset and track are laid down in regulations and naturally are not interfered with. The threshold dimensions for the triggering of maintenance measures are however clearly lower if the most favourable cost curve should be strived for. Primarily it is important to achieve the best possible initial quality. If you allow the track geometry to deteriorate up to the safety limit, a reproduction of an excellent track condition is no longer possible.
Platzer, VA Bahnsysteme Donawitz, Austria
Modern information technology (IT) must be applied in a progressive way. What other developments can be expected at the ÖBB?
Answer
For switches it is tradition that records are kept on “switch sheets”. At present a change-over of this information to computerised methods is in progress.
Questions to the paper Junker
Schilder, ÖBB, Austria
Is the execution of only 10% of the entire commission volume in permanent way by the railway’s own staff sufficient to retain the technical competence?
Answer
Maintenance and renewal of the DB-AG track installations constitute a market volume of around 2 billion Euro at the present time, whereby DB’s own firms handle about 16% of this. A reduction to 10% should be possible. However, this value must also be defended against strong forces from outside contracting firms.
Zuzic, ÖBB, Austria
The UIC Benchmarking Study on the international comparison of construction work and construction costs does not recommend the complete outsourcing, in order to be able to retain appropriate technical competence with the railway.
Answer
On the DB-AG there are individual days with up to 800 worksites. Even for the acceptance and invoicing, the DB-Netz AG relies upon employees with a high technical competence, trained in practical matters.
Fritz, VAE Zeltweg, Austria
Life cycle cost considerations lead to new ways of thinking, such as the inclusion of operational hindrances. Which assured criteria are there for their monetary estimation?
Answer
In this area there are no reliable, scientifically secured values or procedures. But there are several “hard facts” which lead quickly to numerical values, such as energy considerations, locomotive bindings, switchbox occupancy, etc. which quickly produce a value of €50 per minute of delay. The DB Netz AG calculates with a minute of delay of around €150 and is fully aware of the debatability of this value. It is important to convince the influential controllers in today’s railway structures.
Müllner, VAE, Austria
Is the development target “plug-in switch” attractive for the railway?
Answer
Traditionally, up to today, switches have been delivered as constructional kits and have to be re-assembled on the site, after and despite the fact that they were already first fully assembled in the factory. The advantages of the clean assembly in the factory should be effective directly in the track, at best by being laid by the switch manufacturer himself to achieve the best results.
Questions to the paper Zingg
Mundrey, Consultant, India
What kind of escape tracks do you use?
Answer
Escape tracks have never been used on our railway and are completely unknown on railways in continental Europe.
Veit, TU Graz, Austria
Do you use self steering axles in bogies?
Answer
We are testing these designs in the main network of the Rhaetian Railway but not on the Bernina Railway. We are currently trying to formulate the effectiveness of the self steering axles on permanent way wear.
Jaworski, TU Vienna, Austria
The photos show an excellent condition of the running surface. How do you maintain it?
Answer
We apply all options to achieve this objective: lubrication of the flange sides, rail grinding, wheel tyre profiling, etc. If the lubrication is not correct, there is more wear immediately.
Questions to the paper Hill
Mundrey, Consultant, India
How effective are track measuring points?
Answer
So far every alarm was confirmed by the discovery of an appropriate irregularity.
Questions to the paper Sivunen
Boland, CIE Consult, Ireland
What infrastructure usage fees do railway contractors pay in Finland?
Answer
VR pays a lump sum infrastructure usage fee of 50 million Euro per year.
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