MBTA to perform challenging rail measurements over next four years

MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has awarded Advanced Rail Management, Corp., (ARM) a four-year contract with two option years for optical rail measurement services.

The contract, which includes collection of rail profile, vertical, gauge-face and combined wear, percentage of head loss, gauge and field lip, track gauge, crosslevel, cant angle, and gauge-face angle data, requires semi-annual testing on the Green Line and annual tests of the Red, Orange, and Blue lines. In all, ARM will collect 173 track-miles of data per year.

Data will be captured at 6-in. intervals on the Green Line and 12-in. intervals on the other lines—the tightest data-collection-interval requirements in North America. The locations of track features such as switches, lubricators, passenger platforms, tunnels, bridges, and the beginning and end of each curve will be identified and shown on reports, according to the MBTA chain-marker system.

Among the more challenging aspects of the data collection—beyond the steep (7%) grades and double-restrained, 75-ft radius curves—is the precise gauge-face angle data required on the Green Line, which, due to the short (3/4-in.) wheel flange on the Green Line cars, is subjected to additional scrutiny and bi-annual testing.

“We developed a custom algorithm to more precisely capture gauge-face angle measurements,” said ARM President Gordon Bachinsky. “This allows the MBTA to monitor change to the gauge-face angle between measurements and to develop wear trends over time.”

Read more articles on track maintenance.