2021: "European Year of Rail" & what it means for train operators

The European Union claimed 2021 as the Year of the Rail. However, to make travel via railway more attractive than other forms of transportation, a massive effort towards the modernization of railways and tracks is necessary.

Germany plans on investing 86 billion euros over the next ten years to create an efficient, high-quality rail network. This initiative is meant to create a reliable and climate-friendly option to move passengers and goods through the country.

But what do these initiatives mean for you as a rail operator

Most Governments have two things in mind when it comes to the railway network in their country:

• Make traveling by train more attractive
• Reduce climate emissions and provide "green" transportation

In order for these goals to succeed, they are pushing train operators to deliver better service quality. This in turn means, that old trains, worn-out tracks, bridges, and outdated management systems need to be replaced as fast as possible.

For the outside world change becomes visible when tickets are simpler to book, it's easier to check-in and mobile apps are introduced.

Within train operation companies, there is a lot more going on to reduce delays and cancellations - and a lot of it has to do with maintenance. 

There are different types and tasks involved in the maintenance of rail vehicles. And a lot of them are time-critical, complex, and require heavy equipment:

Daily maintenance, also known as light maintenance, includes routine maintenance and repairs such as lubricating the doors, replacing air filters, and filling the sanding system. These tasks are easy to plan.

Heavy maintenance includes long-term maintenance work that cannot be done during ongoing operation, such as brake revisions, repairs after an accident, examination, and replacement of the running gear and bogies.

The multi-level maintenance practice, the extensive rail network, the diverse vehicle fleet, the many maintenance workshops, and decentralized or federal responsibilities make the operation even more complicated and costly.

Predictive fleet maintenance through digitization

Predictive fleet maintenance and management aim to ensure the maximum availability of rail vehicles.

Now, planning plays a crucial part in predictive maintenance: If possible, work is divided into several modules. So all the maintenance steps necessary can be carried out during planned downtimes. Maintenance concepts in rail transport focus on the maximum service life of each individual component, to guarantee the highest availability possible and optimized maintenance.

Most trains are between 250 and 350 meters long - accordingly, the routes within the trains and the route between the shop floor and the spare parts inventory are on average 15 minutes. So keeping routes to the shop floor as short as possible, and avoiding unnecessary walking routes is another essential part of optimized rail fleet management.

With a reliable digital assistant including spare parts recognition technology, maintenance measures can be carried out faster and easier.

Partium supports your maintenance staff in their daily tasks. Partium is an application available for iOS, Android, or different EAM, ERP, and CMMS systems that speeds up technicians' spare part search.

After identifying the correct search result, checklists, notes, and documentation necessary for maintenance, as well as material status (available or obsolete, storage location, successor, etc.) can be easily viewed on the go.

As you can see: When tackling a big task such as the modernization of the railway network and its trains, there are small things that can make a difference and help to get trains back on track.

If you would like to learn more about Partium in rail fleet maintenance, feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer all your questions!