Ukraine – Ukrzaliznytsia Modernization Strategy

Abstract

This Policy Note describes the methodology, data requirements and next steps for implementation of an asset management system that could identify necessary maintenance and renewal budgets to guarantee a sustainable railway infrastructure, measure the backlogs, identify optimum track technologies for individual parts of the network and assist decision-making in individual investment projects. The Ukrainian network covers some 27,000 track-km, (excluding stations, sidings etc). In the absence of detailed data yet available to the consultant, the number of rehabilitated tracks of 2296.8 km in the last 5 years implies an average yearly renewal rate of some 450 km. This is little more than 1.5 percent of the network, implying that average service life will need to be around 60 years. Service life depends on the loading, on the many technical boundary conditions already addressed in this report, and on the maintenance regime applied. However, an average of 60 years’ service life is most unlikely to be attainable with today’s track components and the amount of rail traffic in the Ukraine. Implementation of a life cycle based asset management system is a challenging task for the infrastructure managers. Based on international experiences, it takes at least 1 and half years, to reach the level necessary for strategic decision making based on an asset management system. This time schedule needs an active working group inside UZ meeting at least every six weeks. Starting the work requires an initial two-day seminar on the main principles for describing track behavior using the Standard Element approach to ensure commitment of all working-group participants. The first milestone of the working group is a set of Standard Elements describing the present situation and its history of maintenance and service lives of track in the Ukrainian railway network. The second milestone is a set of alternative technical scenarios enabling the definition of a sustainable solution. Reaching this second milestone, the renewal demand as well as the maintenance demand for a sustainable network can be calculated.