Eco-friendly and economic advantages go hand in hand

The requirements and landscape for track maintenance, rehabilitation, and track laying have changed significantly over the last decade. Sustainability aspects and changes to economic conditions for operating companies require a comprehensive assessment of the cost-benefit ratio for new investments.

A total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation provides a holistic perspective on costs for sound investment decisions. This method of analysis provides clear comparability of established and alternative drive forms. Its aim: cost-effective, sustainable, and ergonomic solutions for the railway of the future.

Developments over the past ten years have paved the way towards a sustainable mechanized maintenance train with the hybrid E³ drive system. The increasing demand for track maintenance machines with alternative drive systems is leading to current offerings which, in addition to their ecological advantages, must prove themselves in terms of economic efficiency.

In many cases, decisions to procure a track maintenance machine were mostly based on its purchase price. All other costs which arose over the product life cycle played less of a role. Specifically, this refers to diesel or traction-current energy costs, maintenance costs, and the costs incurred for CO₂ certificates.

Why is it increasingly necessary to have an extended, holistic analysis of costs throughout the entire product life cycle? Why should additional facts be gathered and taken into account?

Track maintenance machines have very long service lives. More than 50% of the machines Plasser & Theurer has supplied in the last 70 years are still operating worldwide. This means a typical track maintenance machine is in service for several decades – in many cases over 30 years. In a cost analysis over a long service life, the importance of life cycle costs, which are mostly made up of operating costs, becomes greater.