Application of asset management to railway fleet — Best practice examples from around the world

There has been much written about the application of asset management to national critical infrastructure - highways, water and power utilities, railway infrastructure etc. However, the application to fleet is somewhat less documented. Fleet assets are generally characterised as being complex systems of mechanical and electrical components. Mechanical failures are typically a mix of fatigue and age/usage related. Electrical and electronic components are more prone to random failures. The most appropriate maintenance regime should be designed around a Reliability Centred Maintenance approach. RCM focuses on the fitness for purpose of the asset and makes use of failure and performance information to support intervention decisions. This paper reflects on the authors recent experiences in the UK, USA and Europe and identifies aspects of best practice fleet asset management. The paper considers current best practice approaches to demand analysis, strategic planning, reliability analysis and operational management. The use of information systems to support business processes is also considered. A framework for asset management is proposed that draws on this best practice, and considers both the requirements of ISO:55001, as well as the guidance of EN50126 for Railway RAMS. The framework provides the scope for a fleet asset management system. The paper will also highlight the interface between asset management and the requirements on European Rail Operators laid out in the European Interoperability Directives. The paper ultimately concludes by considering what can be learnt from Fleet Operators and how this would be transferred to infrastructure managers to improve the economic and efficient delivery of critical infrastructure.