Indirect Analysis of Railway Infrastructure Anomalies Using Passenger Comfort Criteria

Resumo

Railways are one of the most efficient and widely used public transport systems for medium distances.
To improve the attractiveness of this type of transport, it is necessary to improve comfort, which is greatly affected
by vibrations caused by the train motion and wheel-track interaction, making railway track infrastructure condition
and maintenance a main concern. Based on the passenger’s discomfort level, a new methodology capable of
detecting railway track infrastructure maintenance requirements is proposed. While performing regular passenger
service, acceleration and GPS measurements were performed on Alfa Pendular and Intercity trains between Porto
(Campanhã) and Lisbon (Oriente) stations. Following ISO 2631 methodology, instantaneous floor discomfort
levels were calculated. Matching the results for both trains, twelve track section locations were identified as
requiring preventive maintenance actions. The developed methodology was validated by comparing these results
with those obtained by the EM 120 track inspection vehicle for which similar locations were found. The developed
system can identify critical maintenance sections but does not distinguish the type of defect.