A system and stakeholder approach for the identification of condition information: A case study for the Swedish railway

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify stakeholders— need for system condition information in order to improve railway punctuality. The paper provides a holistic formulation of maintenance-related punctuality problems within the interface between the contact wire and the pantograph. From the identified problem formulation, the information needed to support the maintenance of technical functions can be identified. The incorporated system and stakeholder perspective adds a dimension to the explanation of what information is needed and why it is needed. The system and stakeholder perspective on the assessment of the information need can serve as decision support when acquiring new condition monitoring technologies. On the basis of the problem formulation, this perspective can also serve as an illustration of how information is to be used to improve punctuality. In order to identify stakeholders— need for system condition information, a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) approach was used. The FMEA is complemented with information derived from informal interviews performed with a variety of experts working with issues related to contact wires and pantographs. The applied methodology can be useful for conducting further research studies on other stakeholder and engineering interfaces, such as the wheel—rail interface.