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Overview on Safety Management and Maintenance of High-Speed Railway in

China

Chunfang, Chaoxun Cai

PII: S2214-3912(20)30285-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2020.100397
Reference: TRGEO 100397

To appear in: Transportation Geotechnics

Received Date: 17 March 2020

Revised Date: 17 June 2020
Accepted Date: 28 June 2020

Please cite this article as: Chunfang, C. Cai, Overview on Safety Management and Maintenance of High-Speed
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 Overview on Safety Management and Maintenance of High-Speed Railway in China

Chunfang Lu Professor, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering

China Railway Society, China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited ， Beijing,

China, 100081

Email: lcfcars@126.com

Chaoxun Cai Associate Researching Professor

China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited，Beijing, China, 100081

Email: tagerocai@163.com

1
Abstract: As an important part of national security, railway safety is also an eternal theme in the

development and maintenance of railways. In this study, to explore the establishment of high-

speed railway geosubstructure safety indices and maintenance technology, worldwide typical

design or maintenance standards and codes are summarized and compared, and theoerical analyses

and testings are carried out to explore the high-speed railway safety indices and their influencing

factors. The study indicates that it is scientifically valid and reasonable to use the management

value of a track irregularity and the safety limit of a train as the railway safety indices for the

construction standards of existing infrastructure. Complete and reliable technical standard systems,

the standardized management of construction projects, and the adjustment and optimization of

railways based on the real-time evaluation mechanism of the dynamic acceptance check provide

the core support for determining China’s high-speed railway safety indices. Strategies for railway

maintenance are proposed from the perspectives of a management system as well as detection and

monitoring technology. Moreover, several new technologies for railway maintenance are

discussed and the effects of these technologies are verified, providing a practical reference for

railway safety management and maintenance.

Keywords: High-speed railway; Track geosubstructure; Safety indices; Design code; Settlement;

Track maintenance

2
 As an important part of the overall national security, railway safety is also an eternal theme in

the production and development of railways. In recent years, with the massive construction and

constantly increasing operating mileage of Chinese high-speed railways, high-speed railway safety

in China has improved overall with the number of accidents per 100 kilometers declining with

fluctuation, even though the total number of railway accidents has increased. Due to the vast

territory involved, the high-speed railways in China face diverse conditions and a complex external

environment. After years of operation, some railway infrastructures have experienced deterioration

and defects. Because they have the most direct impact on the operation safety of high-speed trains,

the integrity and the quality of railway infrastructure are the basic conditions for railway

transportation safety. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the safety management and

maintenance technology of high-speed railways.

“Safety first, prevention at the core, and comprehensive management” is the operational

principle of China’s railway safety management [1]. Numerous studies have been carried out

worldwide on the safety management and maintenance of high-speed railways, with many

academic achievements made. When train speed approaches the critical speed of the railway-

ground system, dynamic loading on track foundation will be amplified [2], and the consequent

uneven track settlement in return internsifies the impact loading from train wheels to track

structure [3]. Due to the existance of the rotation of pricinpal stress in the trackbed due to train’s

moving load, train traffics accelerate the ballast particle movements in the trackbed and lead to

excessive permanent settlement [4]. Also, fine particles due to ballast abrasion or mud pumping

further lead to reduction in bearing capacity of the track foundation [5,6]. Water infriltration and

groundwater rise are other possible detrimental factors on track performance of high-speed

railways [7-9]. Geng [10] studied the Chinese high-speed railway safety technical system in terms of

3
the technical standards, technical regulations, safety supervision and monitoring, and maintenance

and emergency rescue. Zhu et al. [11] explored the railway technical regulations and standard

systems in countries and regions such as the EU, Japan, and the USA. Liu [12] summarized the

possible hazards in the operation of high-speed railways, analyzed the causes of major safety issues,

and proposed corresponding preventive measures. Du [13] studied and proposed a scheme for

constructing an engineering safety monitoring system for a high-speed railway. Kang [14,15]

conducted a study on the safety guarantee system, repair schedule and maintenance technology of

a high-speed railway, achieving many results. Bian[16] proposed a methodology to uplift the track

structures uniformly and restore track alignment by injection of polymer materials between

concrete base and roadbed, validated its excellent dynamic performance and long-term durability

of the restored track-roadbed system by full-scale physical model tests.

The above studies are contributed to improving the safety management level of China’s high-

speed railway to a certain extent. In this study, based on a literature review of the safety

management and maintenance technology of China’s high-speed railway, domestic and foreign

standards are compared. Methods like simulation and scientific experiment are used to analyze the

high-speed railway safety indices and their influencing factors. The strategies of maintenance are

proposed, several new technologies for railway maintenance are introduced, and the effects are

verified, providing a reference for railway safety management and maintenance practice.

1. HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY SAFETY INDICES

1.1 Factors influencing the running performance of high-speed trains

The influence of under-track infrastructure on the running performance of high-speed trains

is mainly reflected in factors such as deformation and displacement. Track irregularity can be

4
caused by long-term deformations and displacements such as pier abutment subsidence and local

collapse. With a simply supported girder, a kind of under-track infrastructure extensively applied

by high-speed railway, as the example case in this study, a customarized program [17] was used in

simulations to analyze the impact of deformations (including stiffness) on the running performance

of high-speed trains. The results are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[Figure 1 about here]

[Figure 2 about here]

Figures 1 and 2 show the influences of the deflection-to-span ratio and residual deformation

of the 32 m simply supported girder on the running performance and wheel load reduction rate of

the high-speed trains. According to Figure 1, the wheel load reduction rate decreased with the

increase of the girder stiffness (the decrease of the deflection-to-span ratio), the residual

deformation was not considered at 420 km/h, and the maximum wheel load reduction rate under

different girder stiffnesses was less than 0.08. However, considering the 10 mm residual

deformation, the maximum wheel load reduction rate was approximately 0.35, indicating that the

running performance of the high-speed trains was first affected by the residual deformation, which

was directly reflected as a track irregularity, and then by girder rigidity. Similar conclusions can

be arrived at when it comes to parameters such as the derailment coefficient and the lateral

wheelset force, so the details for these parameters are not presented here.

This pattern was qualitatively analyzed in this study. In a study conducted by Yang et al. [18],

the measured deflection-to-span ratios of the 24 m and 32 m box girders were 1/11436 and 1/12386,

respectively, which meant that the deflections of the 24 m and 32 m box girders were 2.09 mm

5
and 2.58 m, respectively, under the ZK load (double-line loading) of the high-speed train. Taking

into account the ZK load on the reserves (2.29 and 2.58) and the dynamic coefficient (maximum

measured value: 1.30) of the high-speed trains, the maximum deflection-to-span ratios caused by

high-speed running were 1.19 mm and 1.30 mm. Furthermore, double-line box girders with simply

supported girder are widely used in Chinese railway system. There is a relatively small probability

of two trains meeting with their loads reaching their respective upper limits. The most common

case for this involves train running on the single line of a double-line girder, with the largest

deflections being 0.65 mm and 0.71 m. Based on this, the girder stiffness was assumed to be

degraded due to structural damage and material deterioration. For instance, a 10% reduction in the

stiffness of the box girders with a 32 m simply supported girder (the girder was extremely seriously

degraded) was only equivalent to a 0.07 mm deformation of the rail surface, which greatly differed

from the management value of track irregularity. Therefore, relative to a track irregularity caused

by long-term deformation and displacement, girder structure parameters such as stiffness have a

secondary influence on the running performances of high-speed trains.

Track irregularities can be caused by settlement deformation of bridges and tunnels as well

as the settlement and cracking of subgrades, which will eventually be reflected in the geometrical

state of the track. According to the above simulation as well as the qualitative and quantitative

analyses, with the current infrastructure construction standards, it is scientifically valid and

reasonable to use the management value of a track irregularity and the safety limit of a train as

railway safety indices.

1.2 Comparison of high-speed railway safety indices

Running safety issues are mainly caused by the derailment and overturning of trains, the latter

of which is generally triggered by derailment. Hence, a correct judgment of whether there is a

6
danger of derailment is the basis for establishing relevant safety indices, which usually include the

derailment coefficient, wheel load reduction rate, allowable limit of lateral force, and lateral

framework acceleration. Table 1 compares the high-speed railway safety indices in China, the

International Union of Railways (UIC), and Japan [1, 19, 20].

[Table 1 about here]

As shown in Table 1, the derailment coefficient, wheel load reduction rate, and lateral

wheelset force are the indices commonly used in various countries and regions to evaluate high-

speed railway safety. Nonetheless, the limits and test methods may differ from country to country.

In terms of derailment coefficient, the Japanese standard comprehensively evaluates the derailment

coefficient based on the action time, dividing derailment into climbing derailment and jumping

derailment with 0.05 s as the critical point. Considering the operating distance of the wheel-track

interaction force, the UIC takes the moving average value of the window of the continuous

derailment coefficient within the range of 2 m (a window distance of 0.5 m, a cut-off frequency of

20 Hz, and a data confidence of 99.85%) as the safety limit of the derailment coefficient. In China,

the derailment coefficient is judged based on the measured maximum. Although the limit of the

derailment coefficient is 0.8, from the perspective of test methods, China has more stringent

standards for the limit of the derailment coefficient.

1.3 Comparison of the management value of track irregularity

Based on the railway safety management regulations implemented in various countries and

regions, great importance is attached to the management of track regularity. Theoretical studies

and operational practices have also shown that track regularity directly affects the running safety,

7
running comfort, running speed, the service lives of trains and track components, environmental

vibration and noise. According to their disturbance direction and shape characteristics, track

irregularities can be generally divided into height irregularity, alignment irregularity, gauge

irregularity, level irregularity, and twist of track irregularity. Table 2 shows the track irregularity

management standards in different countries and regions [21, 22, 23]. The values shown in Gauge

(mm) are the results of the actual measured values minus the design values. The positive values

mean that the actual measured values are larger than the design ones. The negative values imply

that the actual measured values are less than the design ones.

[Table 2 about here]

It can be concluded from Table 2 that China’s track irregularity management standards for

250–350 km/h high-speed railways are similar to those of the Shinkansen in Japan, both of which

are significantly stricter than corresponding management standards stipulated by the European

Norm (EN), especially in terms of the standards concerning temporary repair and speed limit

management. Moreover, China has proposed the comprehensively evaluation of the quality of

tracks in different sections using the track irregularity quality index (TQI). The TQI is a cumulative

value of the standard deviation of the seven geometric deviations in each 200 m unit section. The

TQI of China’s 250–350 km/h high-speed railways have a level I deviation of 4 mm and a level II

deviation of 5 mm. This is one reason why Chinese high-speed trains outperform those in European

countries in terms of their running performances.

2. DETERMINATION OF RAILWAY SAFETY INDICES

8
2.1 Establishment of a scientific and reasonable technical standard system

To ensure railway safety, relevant construction standards were formulated for various projects

such as high-speed railway subgrades, tracks, bridges, and tunnels. For the subgrades, the design

and construction concept of the geotechnical structure was adopted to strictly control the filling

materials, compaction standards, deformation control, and detection regulations. For example,

once completed, the subgrades were not allowed to settle more than 15 mm, and the difference

between the settlement of the roadbed and that of the structure could not exceed 5 mm. The design

control indicators relating to the bearing capacity, deformation and strain of the railway subgrades

were established to improve the track regularity. For the bridges, a series of technical parameters,

e.g. the train load, fundamental frequency, girder-end angle, deflection-to-span ratio, deformation,

and displacement, were researched and formulated. The technologies of manufacturing,

transporting, and installing the simply supported girder were developed, and a breakthrough was

made in terms of the long-term deformation of prestressed concrete structures, from the centimeter

level to the millimeter level. Through the formulation of technical parameters and standards for

the under-track infrastructure, a series of products such as prestressed concrete simply supported

girders, ballastless tracks, fasteners, sleepers and turnouts, and the corresponding construction

technologies were developed, and the Chinese high-speed railway engineering technological

system was established, ensuring the Chinese high-speed railway regularity from the perspective

of top-level architecture.

2.2 Implementation of the standardized management of railway construction projects

The standardized management of railway construction projects is a complete concept.

Adhering to the principle of systemization and standardization, with technical standards,

management standards, and operation standards as the main content, the standardized management

9
of railway construction projects is “advanced, systematic, unified and cultural” when it comes to

the standardization of management systems, personnel allocation, site management, and process

control. The standardized management of railway construction projects guarantees the intrinsic

safety of high-speed railways.

2.3 Conduct dynamic acceptance check for adjustment and optimization

The dynamic acceptance check included joint debugging and testing as well as a running test.

(1) Joint debugging and testing: Before the high-speed train was put into operation, the

functions, performances, and states of various systems as well as the matching relationships

between the systems were comprehensively tested, verified, adjusted, and optimized by testing the

train and the relevant equipment.

(2) Running test: The operation of the train was organized according to the actual operation

chart to run drills for the running organization, passenger service, and emergency rescue of the

overall system under normal and abnormal operating conditions.

The quality of the project was checked and confirmed through joint debugging and testing,

and the compatibility and applicability of the fixed facilities and mobile equipment were further

verified to make the overall system functions up to standard.

3. MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES

3.1 Management system

Once a high-speed railway is put into operation, maintaining the railway in good condition

through maintenance is the key to ensuring high-speed railway safety. The management systems

and maintenance modes of Japanese, German, and French railway companies were sorted out and

compared, as shown in Table 3.

10
 [Table 3 about here]

As shown in Table 3, the railway maintenance systems and maintenance models are different

in different countries. According to the comparison, the strict separation of “management,

inspection, and repair” is conducive to professional management and mutual restrictions in

management.

A separate inspection, maintenance, and repair management system is implemented in China.

The maintenance can be mainly divided into two modes, i.e. specialized maintenance and

comprehensive maintenance covering engineering, electrical supplies, and power supplies.

Dominated by specialized maintenance, the current maintenance mode in China implements

integrated production management, essentially achieving unified organization architecture, the

unified arrangement of window time in nigh, unified production plans, unified organization, and

unified emergency responses. The repair of high-speed railway equipment is divided into the

categories of periodic maintenance, regular maintenance, and temporary repair. In accordance with

the principle of “prevention first, combination of prevention and control, strict inspection and

careful repair”, maintenance and repair are reasonably arranged following the variation patterns of

the railway states, and a corresponding repair schedule is established to ensure that the railways

are in appropriate states that meet railway operation requirements.

3.2 Detection and monitoring technologies

In terms of relevant information platforms, countries such as the UK, Italy, and Japan have

established an information system platform integrating the management of inspection data, data

analysis, and auxiliary maintenance decision-making information management, realizing the

unified management of inspection data. For example, NETWORKRAIL, a British railway

11
company, established the Engineering Support Center (ESC) in Derbyshire, England in 2004. The

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) in Italy founded the National Railway Infrastructure Data Diagnosis

Center (CDN). The Japanese railway administration developed railway management information

systems such as the Shinkansen Management Information System (SMIS), the East Japan

Equipment Management System (EWS), the Maintenance and Management Database System

(LABOCS), the JR Tokaido Maintenance and Management System, and the Tokaido Shinkansen

Maintenance and Management System (TOSMA) in different phases. China has also established

the Railway Engineering Safety Production Management System. Covering the railway

corporation, the railway bureau, grass-roots sections, workshops, and engineering departments at

all levels, this system adopts unified inspection data, standardized system service dictionaries, and

standard operating procedures, integrates current engineering information resources, and

establishes an information resource sharing platform. However, without the functions of predicting

the state of infrastructure and assisting maintenance decision-making, this system is still backward

when compared with similar systems in other countries in terms of intelligent analysis and

comprehensive evaluation.

In terms of the detection technology, countries around the world are promoting the research,

development, and application of track inspection cars. Currently available tract inspection cars

generally adopt the inertial principle, laser photography, and image processing technology. As

compared to the other countries such as the UK, Italy and Japan, the high-speed comprehensive

detection train independently developed by China has achieved the real-time measurement of long-

wave irregularities on the millimeter-level track of a high-speed railway at a speed of 385 km/h

(the laser image processing speed: 450 frames/s). It has also achieved the continuous measurement

of the 1 m mileage positioning accuracy and wheel-rail dynamic effect of high-speed trains (±2

12
kN). China has independently developed a track irregularity dynamic characteristic detection

system based on an inertial reference, laser photography, and three-dimensional time-varying

stress measurement technology. Theories like the generalized energy method for comprehensively

evaluating the state of the train/track system and China’s high-speed railway irregularity spectrum

have been put forward, forming key technologies for analyzing and evaluating the conditions of

the infrastructure of high-speed railways. Having surpassed foreign counterparts in terms of

detection speed, function, and technical indicators, these technologies reach world-leading levels.

China has also developed a series of systems for conducting the online monitoring of bridges and

tunnels and the invasion of foreign matter, improving the level of high-speed railway safety.

3.3 Maintenance technology

Large-scale ground subsidence and pumping or engineering activities in local areas causes

the settlement of bridges, subgrades, and tunnels, which needs to be treated in a timely manner.

Some new technologies in this field are shown as follows.

(1) High-polymer grouting lifting technology. The principle of this technology is the use of

high-pressure grouting equipment to inject high-polymer grouting materials featuring good filling

properties, rapid coagulation, and expansion into the graded crushed stones under a support layer

through a grouting pipe. With the grouting pressure and expansion force of the injected grout, the

upper track structure is quickly lifted. Through the good matching of the performance of the

grouting material and the grouting interval, the gap formed after the lifting of rail structure is filled

by the grouting material, thereby maintaining the integrity of the track structure.

In the high-speed railway turnout area in China used in this study, the track was a CRTS I

double block ballastless track structure and the turnout area was characterized by a long sleeper

embedded ballastless track structure. This section consisted of two sets of single crossover turnouts

13
and two sets of single turnouts. End girder structures were provided before and after the turnouts

as well as in the transition areas of the slab and the double block ballastless tracks. The maximum

settlement of the upstream line before the remediation was 82.9 mm, and that of the downstream

line was 85.8 mm.

From September to November 2014, the ballastless track in this section was repaired using

the high-polymer grouting lifting technology. Once the grouting was completed, the maximum

lifting amount of the upstream line was 74.5 mm, and that of the downstream line was 76.4 mm.

Figure 3 shows the track elevation of the upstream and downstream lines. The data in Figure 3

come from a high speed railway engineering in the subsidence area of north China, where the

subgrade structure is used in K046. According to the coring test, the hardened grouting material

and the sub-grade graded crushed stones were completely combined into a whole, and the slurry

was full, dense, and seamless without any holes.

[Figure 3 about here]

(2) Bridge lifting technology. The jack was used to synchronously lift the girder body support

and the pad steel plate technology was adopted to improve the track irregularity caused by the

differential settlement of adjacent bridge piers. While being controlled by a computer, the

synchronous lifting system went through one lifting cycle every 3 mm, with the lifting rate being

no greater than 3 mm/min. Once the lifted height met the thickness of the pad steel plate, the pad

steel plate was inserted, the girder was installed in place, and the support bolts were tightened. The

bridge lifting technology was applied to adjust the height of the bridges with over 130 spans of a

high-speed railway line in China, with the maximum lifting amount being 60 mm, which

14
significantly improved the height difference between the adjacent piers and bridges, achieving the

expected purpose and effect as shown in Figure 4. The values in Figure 4 are based on a high speed

railway engineering in the subsidence area of east China, where the bridge structure is utilized in

K134.

[Figure 4 about here]

(3) Line downslope technology. Based on the dynamic and static test data, a plan was

formulated to adjust the fasteners. “Peak-load shifting” was the principle for formulating the plan.

In other words, the peak value at the highest point was lowered and the peak value at the lowest

point was raised, with the maximum peak-clipping height being 4 mm (the standard thickness of

the subplate was 6 mm) and the maximum valley-filling height was 26 mm. After the fasteners

were adjusted, the dynamically tested composite track irregularity along the downslope was less

than 6 mm. The height of the 120 m-long wave did not exceed 7 mm, the vertical acceleration of

the train (20 Hz low-pass filtering) was no greater than 1.0 m/s2, and the vertical acceleration of

the train (0.5–10 Hz band-pass filtering) was less than 0.6 m/s2.

Taking the adjustment of fasteners in a specific section of the Chinese high-speed railway as

an example, since the comprehensive inspection vehicle was found to be over the limit in this

section, the static inspection indicated a 56 mm/106 m difference in track irregularity in this section.

As for the fine adjustment of this section, priority was given to adjusting the W300-1 fastener to a

limit of −4 mm/+26 mm, and the basic linear shape was determined after confirming the maximum

amount of height adjustment at the lowest point. Figure 5 shows the variation of track elevation

15
after downslope lines. Similar to Figure 4, the data in Figure 5 come from the high speed railway

engineering in the subsidence area of east China with the bridge structure K134.

[Figure 5 about here]

(4) Track slab replacement technology. With the extension of the service time of the track,

under the combined effects of temperature stress, train load, and weathering, some track slabs may

experience deterioration such as cracking, chips falling off, and bulging. When the deterioration

reaches a certain level, the damaged track slabs must be replaced during the window period in

night. The newly developed technology replaces the damaged track slab by laterally removing the

rail without cutting the rail.

The above four new maintenance technologies have been widely used in the high speed

railway engineering of China. The high-polymer grouting lifting technology is mainly utilized in

subgrades and the maximum of lifting amount is large. The bridge lifting technology is suitable

for the bridge sections to obtain a relatively large lifting amount. The work of the line downslope

technology is relatively small with the lifting amount between -4mm and 26mm. The track slab

replacement technology is feasible to address the situation with a deteriorated track slab.

4. CONCLUSION

The driving performance of high-speed trains is primarily influenced by track irregularities.

Therefore, it is scientifically reasonable to use the management values of track irregularities and

train safety limits as the railway safety indices for the construction standards of currently available

infrastructure.

16
 China’s track irregularity management standards for 250–350 km/h high-speed railways are

generally similar to those of the Shinkansen in Japan, both of which are significantly stricter than

the corresponding EN management standards, especially in terms of the standards concerning

temporary repair and speed limit management. This is one reason why Chinese high-speed trains

outperform those in European countries in terms of their running performances.

The main experience and methods for achieving the Chinese high-speed railway safety

indices were summarized from the perspectives of a technical standard system, the standardized

management of construction projects, and a dynamic acceptance check. The management systems

as well as the detection and monitoring technologies of high-speed railway states around the world

were compared and analyzed, and new railway maintenance technologies such as grouting lifting,

bridge lifting, line downslope replacement, and track slab replacement were introduced, providing

a reference for determining high-speed railway safety indices and maintaining the ideal state of

high-speed railway.

17
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20
TABLE LIST:

Table 1. High-speed railway safety indices in different countries and regions

Table 2. Track irregularity management standards in different countries of regions

Table 3. Maintenance management systems in different countries

21
Table 1. High-speed railway safety indices in different countries and regions

Item Content China UIC Japan

Derailment Evaluation of Q/P≤0.8, and the train must 2 m moving average value Q/P≤0.8 When the acting time

coefficient derailment safety operate within a specific speed of the lateral force is

Q/P limit when Q/P>0.8. When t>0.05 s, Q/P≤0.8.

0.5<Q/P≤0.8, the railways When the acting time

should be checked and of the lateral force is

accurately adjusted t≤0.05 s, Q/P≤0.04/t

Wheel load Evaluation of the ΔP/P≤0.65 in quasi-static When the wheel-rail force cannot be ΔP/P≤0.6 in quasi-

reduction safety of a conditions. ΔP/P≤0.8 in directly measured and the derailment static conditions.

rate ΔP/P derailment caused dynamic conditions coefficient cannot be assessed, ΔP/P≤0.8 in dynamic

by serious wheel ΔP/P≤0.6 in static conditions conditions

load reduction at

one side of the

train

Lateral Evaluation of the H≤10+P0/3 2 m moving average value H≤9+0.3P0 H≤10+0.35P0

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 wheelset impact of trains on

force H the damage or

(kN) stability of

railways

Lateral Evaluation of the For 0.5–10 Hz band-pass For 10 Hz low-pass filtering, the root- Lateral framework

framework lateral movement filtering, a bogie is judged mean-square of the acceleration of the acceleration is not

acceleration stability of a train laterally unstable when the peak 100 m moving window frame is applied to evaluate

m/s2 value of the lateral framework calculated. If the root-mean-square of the lateral stability of

acceleration reaches or exceeds 8 the lateral framework acceleration of the bogie.

m/s2 more than six times in a row. the bogie exceeds [6–0.1 Mb]m/s2, the

bogie is considered laterally unstable.

Mb is the weight of the bogie

(including wheelset), which is

measured in tons.

Notations: The derailment coefficient Q/P is calculated as the ratio of the lateral force Q to the vertical force P acting on the leading outside wheel
of the bogie, and it is a safety index for the running safety of railway vehicle against flange climb derailments.The rate of wheel load reduction is
another important index to evaluate the safety of a running train. It is defined as the ratio of the load reduction of the wheel vertical force ΔP to the

23
average of the left and the right wheel vertical forces P. The allowable limit of lateral force establishes the track resistance against applied lateral
loads. The resultant lateral force on each wheelset H must be smaller than 10 +P0/3 (KN) in China, where P0 is the static vertical force on a single
wheel.

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Table 2. Track irregularity management standards in different countries of regions

Item Country Height (mm) Alignment (mm) Level (mm) Gauge Track Twist

or region (mm) (mm)

Acceptance China 3 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 3 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 3 +3, −2 3 (base length:

standard 5 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 5 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 3 m)

Japan Ballasted 4/3 ballastless (subtense: Ballasted 3/ballastless 2 (subtense: 3(Ballasted) +2, −2 3 (base length:

10 m) 10 m) 2(ballastless) 2.5 m)

5 (subtense: 40 m) 3 (subtense: 40 m)

EN 3 (subtense: 10 m) 3 (subtense: 10 m) 2 +2, −2 1‰ (base

length: 3 m)

Regular China Ballasted 5/ballastless 4 4 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 5 +4, −3 4 (base length:

maintenance (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 6 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 3 m)

7 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m)

Japan 6 (subtense: 10 m) 4 (subtense: 10 m) 5 +6, −4 4 (base length:

7–10(subtense: 40 m) 6–7 (subtense: 40 m) 2.5 m)

EN 6–10 (wavelength: 3–25 m) 4–7 (wavelength: 3–25 m) / +20, −3 3‰ (base

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 12–18 (wavelength: 25–70 m) 8–13 (wavelength: 25–70 m) length: 3 m)

Temporary China 8 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 6 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 7 +7, −5 7 (base length:

repair 12 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 10 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 3 m)

Japan 10 (subtense: 10 m) 6 (subtense: 10 m) 7 +6, −4 6 (base length:

2.5 m)

EN 16 (wavelength: 3–25 m) 10 (wavelength: 3–25 m) / +28, −5 5‰ (base

28 (wavelength: 25–70 m) 20 (wavelength: 25–70 m) length: 3 m)

Speed limit China 10 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 7 (wavelength: 1.5–42 m) 8 +8, −6 8 (base length:

management 15 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 12 (wavelength: 1.5–120 m) 3 m)

Japan 15 (subtense: 10 m) 9 (subtense: 10 m) / / /

EN EN13231-1 divides track management into three levels, i.e. the acceptance limit (AL), intervention limit (IL)

and immediate amendment limit (IAL). The IAL corresponds to the value of temporary repairs and speed limit

management in China.

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Table 3. Maintenance management systems in different countries

Country Management system Maintenance system

Japan Strict separation of management, inspection, and repair. Shinkansen maintenance work is mainly divided into

The Shinkansen cannot be operated interchangeably with the overhaul and small-scale maintenance. Track

majority of current narrow-gauge railways. JR in Tokai and JR inspection and rail flaw detection are contracted out to

in Kyushu separately manage the operation and maintenance of professional testing companies, while rail equipment

the Shinkansen railway and existing railways. JR in East Japan maintenance is contracted out by the railway company

and JR in West Japan still implement a unified management to specific companies.

system, but the basic units of Shinkansen equipment

management (line maintenance offices) in Japan are relatively

independent.

Germany With management, inspection, and repair partially separated, Comprehensive maintenance is outsourced. Minor

most overhauls and some planned repairs are outsourced. local repairs are performed by the track maintenance

division.

France With management, inspection, and repair partially separated, Conducted according to the principle of preventive

most repairs are outsourced. maintenance supplemented by fault repair, and

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 maintenance and repair are mainly divided into three

modes, i.e. preventive maintenance, corrective

maintenance, and renovation.

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FIGURE LIST:

Figure 1. Wheel load reduction rate of high-speed trains without considering a residual deformation

Figure 2. Wheel load reduction rate of high-speed trains while considering a 10 mm residual deformation

Figure 3. Track elevation before and after renovation

Figure 4. Schematic diagram of track elevation

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of downslope lines

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Figure 1. Wheel load reduction rate of high-speed trains without considering a residual deformation

30
Figure 2. Wheel load reduction rate of high-speed trains while considering a 10 mm residual deformation

31
Figure 3. Track elevation before and after renovation

32
Figure 4. Schematic diagram of bridge lifting

33
Figure 5. Schematic diagram of downslope lines

34