Track: Case Studies

Abstract

This paper investigates the reliability management of overhead track equipment in a South African railway company. The organization has been experiencing unsatisfactory operational efficiency due to infrastructure failures such as pantograph hook-ups, derailments, and washaways, which affects performance. The unsatisfactory operational efficiency affects the organization’s revenue generation, economy, and customer confidence. Studies suggest that the overhead track equipment is the least reliable subsystem of the electric traction system, and its failures contribute significantly to train operations’ poor performance. The convergent mixed-methods design was selected for the study, and a sample of the maintenance depots was selected to collect failure data, inspection and audit reports, and primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The analysis of the data sources showed that the maintenance strategies employed by the organization are ineffective, maintenance management tools such as RCM and FMECA can be adopted to improve the reliability of the equipment, and factors that affect the reliability of the overhead track equipment are operational, maintenance budget, and human factors.