Maintenance of way

It is also a key part of drainage along railway lines to ensure the integrity of the tracks during rain and other wet weather.

In some situations, such as the Gotthard Base Tunnel rails are affixed directly to concrete, eliminating the need for individual ties and the ballast that supports them.

[6] Robust inspections are key to a safe railroad and discovering flaws and wear in tracks early enough that they can be addressed before causing a derailment, or becoming so severe that the work must be done immediately, regardless of whether it is a convenient time to do so.

[9] Britain's railway system still makes routine use of visual inspections by workers walking along sections of track.

Teams of men, 'section crews', would be responsible for specific sections of track, each approximately 10–20 miles (16–32 km) long.

[8][13] Section crews would manually carry out tasks such as replacing worn out track components, clearing ditches and culverts, tamping ballast and removing snow and debris from switches.

One account, by Joseph Noble, was that one of these crews of 110 men could replace 1 mile (1.6 km) of track in a 10 hour work day.

[14] Most of this equipment could be operated by a single person, or handful at most, dramatically reducing the workers needed to carry out a project.

[16] The section crew approach to maintenance has disappeared in the United States, with routine track work now carried out by teams of workers trained and equipped to carry out specific tasks like replacement of ties or damaged rails, that are sent around a company's rail network.

[22] The electrification of an existing route, can involve significant additional work to accommodate the new electrical system, such as changes to or complete demolition and rebuilding of bridges, station canopies and tunnels.

[25] Failure to keep up with this maintenance can lead to catastrophic damage to both the overhead wire system as well as on train equipment, particularly the pantograph, even at relatively low speeds.

[24] This poses significant hazards, from bright light of an arc flash and starting fires, as well as disruptions to railroad operations from tripped circuit breakers and downed wires.

[27] The development and consistent following of plans to control vegetation near overhead lines is critical to safe and uninterrupted rail journeys.