铁路论文；AM-NYST（英文）.pdfVIP

IMPROVED PUNCTUALITY – A FREIGHT TRAIN STUDY B Nyström Division of Machine Elements Sirius Laboratory Luleå University of Technology SE-971 87 Luleå Sweden birre.nystrom@ltu.se KEYWORDS: punctuality, delay, data bases, railway infrastructure, maintenance, failure, freight train ABSTRACT A procedure to systematically find actions to improve punctuality concerning railway infrastructure, and giving the greatest improvement is illustrated. The transports of a company producing steel slabs in one factory and performing rolling in another are investigated. Reliable transports between plants are crucial to market competitiveness. The transport chain of steel slabs is described and the distance by train is investigated regarding punctuality, transportation times and causes for lack of punctuality. Pros and cons of the procedure employed and ways to improve punctuality are discussed, including infrastructure maintenance. INTRODUCTION The railway industry is in a state of transition, with new stakeholders emerging and old ones having to adjust to their new environment. The restructuring of the Swedish railway began in 1989 with the partition of Swedish State Railway (SJ) into the infrastructure manager Banverket and separate Train Operating Companies (TOCs) for passengers and freight. Transport customers require ever-shorter transport times and higher punctuality. The railway industry also tries to improve performance by increasing train lengths and axle loads. Punctuality is influenced by several stakeholders and factors. The goods should be in place when the train is bound for departure, the engine and wagons should funct