Light rail vehicles: design for maintenance and service operation

Maintenance costs are a major component of whole-of-life fleet cost. Reducing maintenance costs can therefore contribute significantly to driving the cost out of rail. Decisions taken during vehicle design affect the ease and cost of vehicle maintenance, and the disciplines Design for Maintenance and Design for Service Operation have evolved to ensure that the maintenance regime for a vehicle is optimised. By considering the maintenance requirements for each vehicle system during design, and by applying lessons learnt from fleets in operation, it is possible to design a maintenance regime that minimises cost and maximises fleet availability. This planned maintenance regime must be combined with continued assessment and modification to drive down maintenance costs over the life of the fleet.