Closing the Loop: Enhancing Railway Assets Circularity through Sustainable Lifecycle Management
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Luleå tekniska universitet - Luleå tekniska universitet Inst f samhällsbygg & naturresurser |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 300 000 |
| Project duration | May 2024 - April 2027 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | The strategic innovation program InfraSweden |
| Call | SIP InfraSweden: Increased circularity for the transport infrastructure |
Purpose and goal
CirculaRail aims to extend the lifetime of railway assets by predictive maintenance, reducing life cycle costs, and environmental & societal impacts by implementing the circular economy (CE) framework. The objectives are: -Mapping railway assets life management process highlighting circular model requirements, data aggregation and MFA, -Developing new Circular Predictive Maintenance by incorporating sustainability measures and future climate scenarios into maintenance practices. -Identifying optimal CE scenarios for railway assets by integrating MFA and LCSA factors.
Expected effects and result
-Increase the efficiency of railway assets by prolonging the asset life. -Increase environmental safety by integrating environmental factors in predictive maintenance decisions. -Fulfill future demands and have more knowledge for long-term planning and developments by considering climate change impacts . -Support IM to increase circularity within railway infrastructure assets by selecting the appropriate CE model. The results and outcomes of CirculaRail will be communicated via workshops and webinars on the project homepage, LinkedIn and open access journals.
Planned approach and implementation
CirculaRail will be implemented by the following seven WPs and 9 deliverables. 1-Project Management 2-Current State of Circular Economy in Railway Sector 3-Material Flow Analysis, Health Condition, and Future Climate Projections 4-Circular Predictive Maintenance Analytics-Algorithm and digital model 5-Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment 6-Circularity Impact Assessment on Railways System 7-Collaboration, Implementation, and Scalability Trafikverket, LTU, JVTC, Luleå kommun, Duroc Rail AB, Omicold AB will support the project to achieve CirculaRail´s objectives.