Citation

Zoeteman A. Int. J. Crit. Infrastruct. 2006; 2(2/3): 171-186.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Inderscience Publishers)

DOI

10.1504/IJCIS.2006.009436

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Infrastructure managers increasingly have to deliver to defined performance levels, related to system reliability, availability and life cycle costs, as a result of increasing pressures from governments and operators. This paper will investigate the consequences of this development for the newly established European Railway's infrastructure managers (IMs). It particularly focuses on the state of the art in the maintenance planning process. IMs have difficulty in adapting to the quickly changing expectations on reliability and affordability. Several methods and tools for asset maintenance management have been developed, but their application in practice is still scarce. Significant challenges currently being tackled are the design of computerised maintenance management systems and their implementation in a traditionally fragmented (budget-driven) maintenance organisation.