MAKING BAD TRACK GOOD: WHAT ARE THE ECONOMICS

Reduced maintenance costs are not the only economy to be expected from track repair. Other aspects must be taken into consideration: reduction in the number of accidents, in supervision and routine maintenance costs, higher train speeds, increase in car utilization and better quality of service. No exhaustive study on this subject has ever been carried out, but the article gives an outline of the degradation and repair process for a track over an eight-year period, with quantified assessments by heading of expenditure and foreseeable economics.