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The book presents a classification of track quality in order to describe track deterioration. This state-of-the-art asset monitoring enables for estimation of component-specific residual service life and therefore forms a sound basis for life-cycle-cost based decision-making.

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Various loads on the railway track superstructure lead to continuous wear on the track components. As a result, the service life of single components and eventually of the whole system is limited. In order to create sustainable, fact-based maintenance plans, it is necessary to capture the condition of the track and the individual components in a reproducible, continuous fashion. Existing track data, mainly delivered by track measuring cars, aim for a description of actual track quality. This book presents a methodology transforming this information into both a load-based classification of track geometry and component-specific condition monitoring. The established analysis forms the missing link between asset data and asset management by transforming measuring data into a sound basis for life-cycle-cost based decision-making. This is a major step from reactive maintenance concepts towards a modern asset management strategy focussing on both technical and economic sustainability.

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