Planning Maintenance and Repair of Railroads Based on the Prioritization Algorithm

Provision of a prioritization algorithm for maintenance and repair of railways in Iran has been targeted to optimize and update short and long term plans for rail maintenance operations in this research. In this article, the current conditions of the railway in Iran were studied and international studies were conducted to develop a prioritization algorithm. Consequently, the method of designing and developing the necessary models to provide a priority algorithm for maintenance of tracks based on the geometry of the route with the aim of achieving the required safety level of the passenger travel comfort in the current track maintenance methods was presented. The benefits of the new maintenance approach are illustrated by the use of evaluating its outputs with the current approach. The new maintenance algorithm ensures not only the safety of the route, but also the level of comfort needed for the traveler. The results indicate the applicability and feasibility of using the proposed model or algorithm in providing a priority program and planning for the maintenance of the railway.