to Enhance Operations and Safety
by
Allan M. Zarembski, Ph.D., P.E.
Joseph W. Palese, M.C.E., P.E.
As seen in APTA Magazine October 1999
Transit systems are faced with the complex task of maintaining a broad range of right of way assets under extremely high traffic densities. Furthermore, this ongoing maintenance activity must be made in an era of ever tightening budgets and limited resources. In order to effectively maintain the safety of the transit operations and to provide for timely maintenance and component replacement, it is necessary for the transit operator to have access to accurate and timely information about the condition of the track. This is to include the presence of "exceptions" or "defects" in the track, an understanding of the past maintenance history on both a segment and component basis, and a detailed record of the components and their history throughout the track network. In addition, the ability to forecast or predict future maintenance (and capital) requirements for such key items as rail, turnouts, ties and/or fasteners, etc. is an important step in accurate planning, budgeting, and optimization of limited resources.
ZETA-TECH Associates Inc.‘s Maintenance of Way Information System (MOWIS) represents the latest generation of ZETA-TECH maintenance planning and information systems for transit properties. This new generation software package, which has been recently installed on Toronto Transit System, is a user friendly, graphically based MOW management and information system. MOWIS functions in a "click and point" graphical map mode for displaying and accessing all underlying data in the information system. MOWIS is designed to be upwardly expandable and includes modules displaying track charts, displaying detailed track component data (to include photos and drawings), logging component failures, planning and logging repairs, and forecasting track component replacement requirements.
MOWIS is fully network-compatible and provides simultaneous access to a common database for all authorized users (assigned by access level on a password basis).
The system map module of MOWIS provides a graphical display of the entire transit system with the option to display track component failures and/or rail defects. The system map also provides access to the track chart data in the database. The user can display additional levels of data by clicking on the desired station or segment.
The track chart module can display a "real-time" track chart of any segment of the transit system. The track chart displays a range of data describing the rail, track fixation, curves, grade, stations, structures, turnouts, diamonds, expansion joints, and lubricators. Additional data, such as installation date, related inventory and existing (and repaired) defects, are available by clicking on the component displayed on the track chart. The track chart can also be scrolled to allow the user to locate any desired segment of track.
MOWIS is designed to provide accurate and easily definable data on current track "defects" and/or "exceptions". These defects are presented graphically, color coded for up to 6 defect levels, from "severe" (red) defects to "housekeeping" items (blue). These defects are entered based on track patrol (inspector) input, which can be done either through paper reports or hand held data entry units (with direct download capability).
Using the listing of defects/exceptions, maintenance supervisors can generate work orders for maintenance forces (gangs) to repair these defects. MOWIS also closes out these defect records whenever a defect is repaired. MOWIS maintains an up-to-date record of the condition of the track for the entire system. MOWIS also keeps a running inventory of the available components, including the item descriptions and stock numbers.
Based on the maintenance and repair history of each track component, MOWIS provides a forecast of future component failures to be used for planning track maintenance, for budgeting capital and maintenance requirements and for purchasing and inventory maintenance. MOWIS also provides a forecast of rail life based on rail defects, traffic density, the type of rail and other parameters. The rail life forecast can similarly be used for budgeting rail replacement and associated capital planning.
MOWIS is designed to be used by maintenance supervisors responsible for daily and short-term maintenance as well as by system managers responsible for planning annual and longer term maintenance. MOWIS’s user friendly graphical interface and corresponding graphical presentation of the data, allows for efficient use of information in planning and execution of maintenance. It further gives senior maintenance officers the ability to more efficiently and effectively plan the use of track maintenance personnel and resources. This is of key importance in today’s complex transit operating environment.
BACK Copyright © 2000 by ZETA-TECH Associates, Inc.