Effect of climate change on railway maintenance: a systematic review

Abstract

According to international reports and publications, the effects of climate can cause rail failures and consequently leading to disrupt travel schedules and unforeseen delays. Extreme heat, cold and snowfall are among the most important climate changes conditions that affect the normal railway operation. Thus, in order to determine the appropriate maintenance strategy that reduce the social and economic impact of the repair interventions, it is fundamental to identify and predict in advance the potential points of failure. This paper compares and analysis different published studies related to railways failures by measuring the effects of weather on rail defect.