A Stochastic Decision Process Model for Optimization of Railway and Tramway Track Maintenance by means of Image Processing Technique

One of the key targets for an efficient transport network management is the search for proper maintenance policies to guarantee acceptable safety and quality standards in the travel and to optimize available resource allocation. Methodologically, the proposed model presented in this paper uses the stochastic dynamic programming and in particular Markov decision processes applied to the rail wear conditions for the railway and tramway network. By performing the integrated analysis of the classes of variables which characterize the rail quality (in terms of safety), the proposed mathematical approach allows to find the solutions to the decision-making process related to the probability of deterioration of the state variables of the rail over time and to the available resources. The paper takes into account a non-conventional procedure for measuring the transverse profile of rails in operation by means of image-processing technique.