Railway Track Asset Management, from long-term vision to completion

Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. (IP) is one of the major physical asset managers in Portugal, including the railway track assets of the National Railway Network. The current railway track technologies installed in the network range from the most modern solutions, which allow higher performances against ever more demanding service levels, to others not so recent although still adequate for the operation characteristics of certain lines. Being a network in evolution for over 150 years, occasionally there are some network sections where the installed technology is still the original one. The network comprises distinct railway track superstructure solutions, with very different performance requirements, variable degradation cycles and a multitude of maintenance intervention needs. In this context, and bearing in mind the high volume of maintenance and renewal needs, the management of railway track assets is a major challenge for IP.