scope:

Purpose and scope of the handbook

Plain line concreted track accounts for approximately 30% of the LUL network, the majority being in tube sections. There are, however, a number of locations in open and sub-surface sections that, for a variety of reasons, are concreted track. The main ones are Earls Court due to construction restrictions, Morden for drainage purposes and White City because of difficulties in maintaining track geometry due to tight curvature. Depot pit roads, acid and wash roads are concreted.

This handbook offers comprehensive advice on the maintenance of the full range of plain line concreted track components and its geometry and is intended to assist managers in making their day-to-day decisions. The aim is to ensure that plain line concreted track meets the requirements of track standards and fulfils the corporate objectives of improved safety, quality and asset performance.

The activities discussed in this handbook cover the preparatory stages of identifying and planning maintenance tasks (section 2), track quality being fully covered in Track Handbook 18, Managing track quality, the necessary safety and protection measures for work on and about the track (section 3), the subject of track safety is fully covered in Track Handbook 16, and the detailed maintenance of plain line concreted track components and geometry (sections 4 to 10), as well as monitoring the outcome of maintenance work, leading into the inspection activities which are the subject of Track Handbook 10.

Because plain line concreted track is exposed to a variety of conditions which can impair its quality, for example sleeper and pitblock shrinkage, poor top, bad alignment, and increase the risk of loss, for example broken rail, derailment, the handbook focuses strongly on maintenance of the track support system including rails, rail joints, rail supports, fastenings, sleepers, pitblocks and drainage.

Maintenance is covered in this handbook including preventative activities, which are proactive and seek to stop component failures and excessive wear and tear through a planned sequence of work, and corrective maintenance, which is reactive and responds to asset condition problems as and when they arise. The scope of the maintenance tasks involved extends from the fettling of track, correcting its geometry and adjusting components to the spot renewal of life-expired sleepers, rails and other components.

The activities relating to track renewals are covered in Track Handbook 2, Renewing track, structure clearances are included in Track Handbook 14, Designing aspects of track maintenance and resource management is addressed in Track Handbook 21, Planning maintenance resources.