This paper analysis a comparison of the current maintenance of railway tracks with the maintenance based on an analysis of the life cycle costs in order to define a new model for the maintenance of railway infrastructure. The model should generate a minimum total cost in the life cycle of railway tracks for the required level of track quality. The current model of corrective maintenance of track in use was analyzed, and an alternative model of preventive maintenance during the extended life cycle of the track is proposed. The model was defined using a chosen track section, which was analyzed and reduced to two representative types of standard kilometer. Following these analyses, models for corrective maintenance and preventive maintenance for standard kilometers I and II were obtained, also considering corresponding subtypes depending on the anticipated traffic load up to 1, to 3 and to 5 million gross tons. Benefits for preventive maintenance are lower overall maintenance costs with great effects and longer periods of preserved high quality of the track, while deficiencies are increased maintenance costs at the beginning of the observed period of the life cycle, the need for good preparation of maintenance with strong logistics and unavailability of track for longer periods of time. Benefits of corrective maintenance are lower initial costs of maintenance due to its use, since they are the only parts of the track where failures were found that are maintained, while the disadvantages are total higher maintenance costs, faster reduction in the overall quality of the track, small effects of maintenance and many short intervals of closed tracks due maintenance with high costs disorders in train traffic. The research results favored preventive maintenance with flexible quality maintenance limits during lifecycle of track.

railway network, corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance, life cycle costs