Digitalizing the Determination of Railway Infrastructure Intervention Programs: A Network Optimization Model

Abstract

One area of railway infrastructure management that can benefit greatly from digitalization is the determination of optimal intervention programs, i.e., when, where, and which type of interventions are to be executed. The potential benefit is considerable because of the large variety of assets required for the infrastructure to function as intended, the interconnectedness of the assets, the extensive number of different types of possible interventions, and the wide range of service measures to consider when deciding between different intervention programs—all of which are difficult, if not impossible, to consider qualitatively. In this paper, a network flow optimization model is presented that determines the optimal intervention program considering different types of assets, interventions and service measures to execute the interventions, the dependencies between interventions, and the relation between interventions and service in the short and long term. The model is developed and used to determine the intervention program that maximizes the net benefit for a 17-km railway line over a 12-year planning period, divided into three four-year blocks. The example demonstrates that the model can be used to determine optimal intervention programs on real-world railway networks, taking into consideration the intervention costs and relevant measures of service, the interrelationships between the different assets, and multiple time periods. It also demonstrates that the model is a powerful management tool for leveraging the digitalization of railway infrastructure.