BCRTC Operates and Maintains the Expo and Millennium Lines in Vancouver, Canada. First opened in 1986, the system has seen expansions through the past decades, with the mainline system length now totaling 121 kilometers. During the early years, issues such as general wear and tear, as well as rail corrugation developed. Through innovative maintenance and engineering efforts, these issues were stabilized for the most part.

As the Metro Vancouver area expanded in population, and interest in public transit use was increasing during the 1990’s and 2000’s, the operational service levels were increased to match. The capacity of the system was increased gradually by means of adding rolling stock to the fleet, reducing headways, and extending operating hours. These increases in service, resulting in annual tonnage increases, meant that wear and tear was building up on the system, and track maintenance windows were shrinking. In the early 2010’s, it was realized that the rate of degradation was more than could be maintained current practices at the time.

This presentation will highlight some of the key maintenance programs at Skytrain, such as rail grinding, track switch maintenance, and recent investigations into reducing rail corrugation via friction modifiers, acoustic grinding, and the use of different rail steels. Although tough to envision the positive benefits of the preventative approach at the outset, moving away from reactive “fire fighting” allowed for a much more regular and predictable approach. The benefits of preventative maintenance vs. corrective maintenance will be discussed with respect to maintenance scheduling, budgeting, and capital planning.