Rolling contact fatigue on the British railway system: treatment

In the late 1990s, rolling contact fatigue was a widespread and severe, but greatly Underestimated, problem on the British railway system. In the period 1999-2000, the basis for a system of preventative maintenance of rails was nevertheless established. Preventative maintenance has been greatly accelerated by the tragic and fatal derailment of a passenger train in October 2000. Rail grinding and lubrication are the widely accepted and basic components of the strategy, the details of which are still being developed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.