February_2022 - 16
Jack Lindquist
A LORAM grinder moving across the SkyBridge.
grinder. The in-house grinder
currently completes 60 to 70 kilometers
(37.3 to 43.5 miles) of
maintenance grinding per year.
" ARM is really good at listening
to us about our needs and
finding solutions to problems, "
Vesik said. " They track their
own grinding progress on a daily
basis and provide detailed reporting
through their ARMapp
software, which also tracks the
locations and number of passes
and segments completed by our
own in-house grinding. "
BCRTC has learned over the
years to make the most of the
grinding effort by single tracking
- grinding on one track while
operating revenue trains on the
other - where possible. Instead of
starting work at 1:00 a.m., as was
typically the case, grinding now
starts at 11:00 p.m. Single tracking
enables BCRTC to better utilize
its maintenance windows while
still providing sufficient service
during hours in which ridership
is traditionally lower.
" When your track windows
are only two- to three-hours long,
the extra grinding time allows
us to effectively double the work
window. That's huge, " Vesik said.
BCRTC has also learned to
strategically stage the grinding
equipment when parking it for
the night so that it's in position
to make the most of the available
window the following night.
" We make sure that a fuel
truck can access the location,
grinding stones can be replaced
and other daily maintenance
can be performed. We do this to
minimize non-productive time
because every minute of grind
time is valuable, " he said.
BCRTC's " bang-for-the-buck "
productivity metric is track meters
completed per shift. In each
year since 2018, the contracted
grinder has
incrementally
increased
the average of completed
track meters per shift, from 1,560
track meters per shift in 2018 to
2,007 track meters per shift in
2021. In addition to its dollarsand-cents
calculation, the productivity
metric also provides a
snapshot of the overall rail condition
on the system.
" The number of grinding passes
required to restore or maintain
rail is directly related to its condition, "
Vesik said. " The need
for fewer passes is an indicator
that not only is the rail health
16 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | FEBRUARY 2022
TransLink
TESTS HAVE
shown that
older, softer rail
is more prone
to corrugation
than the newer,
harder rail steels
that are being
installed at
Skytrain.
improving, but that we are heading
toward a preventive state, the
goal of all railways. "
" There were some growing
pains, " Doyle noted, but added that
" we're now transitioning from a
corrective to a preventive grinding
program and a state of continuous
improvement. We have the ability
to maintain our rail (and wheels)
to an acceptable level, but we're
http://www.MassTransitmag.com
February_2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February_2022
Editor’s Notebook
People & Places
SkyTrain
Bolstering the Mobility Toolbox
2022 Mobility Outlook
Outfitting Networks with Improved Connectivity to Create a Better Rider Experience
Products
February_2022 - 1
February_2022 - 2
February_2022 - 3
February_2022 - 4
February_2022 - 5
February_2022 - Editor’s Notebook
February_2022 - 7
February_2022 - People & Places
February_2022 - 9
February_2022 - 10
February_2022 - 11
February_2022 - SkyTrain
February_2022 - 13
February_2022 - 14
February_2022 - 15
February_2022 - 16
February_2022 - 17
February_2022 - 18
February_2022 - 19
February_2022 - Bolstering the Mobility Toolbox
February_2022 - 21
February_2022 - 22
February_2022 - 23
February_2022 - 24
February_2022 - 25
February_2022 - 2022 Mobility Outlook
February_2022 - 27
February_2022 - 28
February_2022 - 29
February_2022 - Outfitting Networks with Improved Connectivity to Create a Better Rider Experience
February_2022 - 31
February_2022 - 32
February_2022 - Products
February_2022 - 34
February_2022 - 35
February_2022 - 36
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