Abstract

General Background: Railway structures, such as bridges and viaducts, are critical components of transportation infrastructure. Specific Background: These structures are particularly susceptible to damage from natural hazards including earthquakes, mudflows, landslides, and subsidence, posing risks to safety and economic stability. Knowledge Gap: Despite their vulnerability, there is a lack of integrated evaluations addressing both the technical performance and economic efficiency of local real-time monitoring and early warning systems for these assets. Aims: This study aims to assess the technical and economic effectiveness of localized monitoring systems designed for railway structures under emergency conditions. Results: The analysis demonstrates that such systems significantly improve structural risk detection and operational response time, while offering cost-effective solutions for infrastructure management. Novelty: Unlike prior research, this work integrates technical diagnostics with a cost-benefit evaluation, providing a holistic framework for monitoring system implementation. Implications: The findings support the deployment of real-time monitoring as a strategic investment, enhancing resilience and ensuring the continuity of railway operations in hazard-prone regions.

Highlights:

• Real-time monitoring enhances early detection of structural vulnerabilities.

• Integrated assessment reveals both technical and economic benefits.

• Critical for risk mitigation in disaster-prone transportation networks.

Keywords: Railway Structures, Real-Time Monitoring, Early Warning Systems, Infrastructure Safety, Economic Efficiency

Introduction

Railway infrastructure comprises a complex system of engineering structures, and its reliability is crucial for ensuring transport logistics, economic stability, and human safety. Theoretical research on emergency prediction aims to reduce potential risks in this field and identify them in advance. The development and implementation of an emergency prediction system for railway structures has created the possibility of ensuring emergency preparedness and stability in the railway transport system. This is of great importance not only economically but also socially and environmentally [1].

An expert assessment (questionnaire survey) was conducted as part of a research study to examine the continuous monitoring of the technical condition of railway structures in mountainous and foothill areas. The results revealed that there is no existing system for continuous monitoring of railway structures. Based on the analysis of this survey, it became necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technical device for railway structures [2].

The visual and instrumental inspections of railway bridges and aqueducts (galleries) on the “Angren-Pop 2” railway section, conducted during spring, autumn, and winter seasons, have yielded positive results. The proposed technical device for monitoring and control has been implemented in practice in foreign countries. However, this monitoring and control device is not currently available on Uzbekistan's railways. Therefore, in this research work, it was adapted and implemented to suit the climate and conditions of the Republic of Uzbekistan, particularly for mountain and foothill railway sections. It is crucial to assess the economic efficiency of implementing this proposed monitoring and control device for railway structures.

Method

The following controls are carried out during the current monitoring of railway structures [3]:

1. inspection of natural or artificial obstacles, openings on both sides of the structure and identification of defects (defects) in the elements of the structure;

2. inspection of reinforced concrete spans, support columns, metal support parts, ballast thickness in reinforced concrete spans and other measurements to verify compliance with the parameters of the instructions;

3. inspection of the upper part of the track, measurement of the compliance of the track axis with the span and support axes, determination of the compliance of the track condition with the current instructions;

4. inspection of the subgrade (monitoring work at the entrance and exit points of the structure);

5. inspection of the subgrade with the resulting depth measurements;

6. implementation of camera work (calculation work performed in the room after monitoring and inspection).

7. The proposed monitoring and control technical device in the research work includes several control works of existing monitoring and control works, including:

8. inspection of natural or artificial obstacles, holes on both sides of the structure and detection of defects (defects) in the elements of the structure;

9. inspection of reinforced concrete spans, support columns, metal support parts, ballast thickness in reinforced concrete spans and other measurements to check compliance with the parameters of the instructions;

10. inspection of the upper part of the road, measurement of the compliance of the road axis with the span and support axes, determination of the compliance of the road condition with the current instructions;

11. implementation of camera work (calculations performed in the room after monitoring and inspection).

The calculation of the economic efficiency of the proposed monitoring and control system device was carried out by compiling cost estimates for the implementation of the proposed monitoring and control system with the costs of the existing monitoring and control system. For this, initial data on the assessment of the efficiency of using the monitoring and control device for the technical condition of structures were calculated for options A and B [4]. Here, A is the current cost of the technology for technical inspection and testing of railway bridge and viaduct structures, B is the cost of the proposed technology for technical inspection and testing of railway bridge and viaduct structures. The results of the calculation are the basis for calculating the economic efficiency of the proposed device in Table 1. The data presented in Table 1 are calculated for 1 p.m. of artificial structures (railway bridge and viaduct (gallery)).

Table 1 is here

For the calculation of the example of the railway section “Angren-Pop 2”, the lengths in 1 pog.m. were calculated based on the collected initial data on railway bridges, viaducts (galleries) and tunnels of the railway section “Angren-Pop 2” (see Table 2).

Based on the above data, the research work was conducted to assess the economic efficiency of the device for predicting and monitoring the impact of emergency situations on the example of the railway section "Angren-Pop 2". Initially, initial data on the railway section "Angren-Pop 2" were collected, namely, it was determined that there were 17 railway bridges and 4 viaducts (galleries) structures (see Table 2) [5].

The following normative documents were used to calculate the economic [6] efficiency of improving monitoring systems for predicting natural emergencies affecting the structures of the Angren-Pop 2 railway section. These are the calculation costs in accordance with paragraph 6 of Appendix 8 to the Regulation “On the Procedure for Determining the Cost of Design and Survey Works”, registered by the Ministry of Justice on December 9, 2008 under No. 1879 and approved by the Road Administration [7], [8]. Accordingly, the calculation of the cost of technical inspection of reinforced concrete and metal bridges, equipment research and development of recommendations for their future use by the Department of Railway Artificial Structures and Roadbed Inspection as of January 1, 2020 is shown in Table 1. According to Table 1, the time and cost of inspecting railway structures by employees of the bridge testing departments, road bridge testing stations and specialized organizations of Uzbekistan Railways, depending on the types of railway structures, i.e. bridges, were calculated [9].

Result and Discussion

A. Result

As shown in Table 2, the Angren-Pop 2 railway section has 17 railway bridges with a total length of 2,430 meters and 4 viaducts (galleries) with a total length of 283 meters [10].

Even if the total length of the railway viaducts (galleries) is 283 meters, the time spent by the employees of the railway facility inspection unit for monitoring inspections was calculated in accordance with option A in Table 1, and the following results were obtained:

283 m× 89 268,96 soums=25 263 116 soums

This means that the costs incurred by the inspection unit employees for a one-time monitoring inspection amount to 25,263,116 soums.

If we calculate the costs of technical inspection and testing of the railway viaduct (gallery) structure according to option B using the proposed monitoring and control device, the following result is obtained:

283 m× 10 820,48 soums=3 062 196 soums constitutes.

The time spent by the inspection unit staff on the monitoring inspection of the total railway bridge structure with a length of 2,430 meters in accordance with option A in Table 1 was calculated and the following results were obtained:

2 430 m× 123 083 soʻm=299 091 690 soums

If we calculate the costs of technical inspection and testing of the railway bridge structure according to option B using the proposed monitoring and control device, the following result is obtained:

2 430 m× 16 907 soums=41 084 010 soums constitutes.

If these calculations are calculated based on permanent, current, periodic, special, and planned monitoring inspections, monitoring inspection and control work is carried out twice a year (in spring and autumn). It follows that railway structures are monitored twice through current, periodic, special, and planned monitoring systems [11].

The total cost of inspecting the railway viaducts (galleries) on the Angren-Pop 2 railway section will be 25,263,116 so u ms × 2=50,526,232 so u ms.

The total cost of inspecting the railway bridge on the Angren-Pop 2 railway section is 299,091,690 so u ms ×2=598,183,380 so u ms.

B. Discussion

The modern and affordable monitoring and control system proposed in the research work allows for continuous monitoring of railway bridges and viaducts (galleries) on the railway section. According to the current state of these monitoring systems, we can see the cost of one railway bridge or viaduct (gallery) (see Table 3) [12], [13].

Table 3 is here

The monitoring and control system proposed in the research work achieves the following economic efficiency (see Tables 2 and 3) [14], [15]. For option B, based on the initial data collected on the railway viaducts (galleries) on the Angren-Pop 2 railway section, if monitoring inspections are carried out twice, the cost will be 3,062,196 soums × 2 = 6,124,392 soums, while the cost of installing and operating the monitoring and control system for 4 viaducts (galleries) will be 1,579,000 soums × 4 = 6,316,000 soums.

For option B, if monitoring inspections are conducted twice based on the initial data collected on railway bridges on the Angren-Pop 2 railway section, the cost will be 41,084,010 soums × 2 = 82,168,020 soums, while installing and using a monitoring and control system on 17 bridges will require 1,579,000 soums × 17 = 26,843,000 soums [16].

The total costs are as follows:

The difference in costs for inspecting railway viaducts (galleries) is 50,526,232 soums – 6,124,392 soums – 6,316,000 soums = 38,085,840 soums, which we can save.

We can save 598,183,380 soums – 82,168,020 soums – 26,843,000 = 489,172,360 soums, which we can save on costs for inspecting railway bridges.

Conclusion

1. As a result of conducting an expert assessment (questionnaire) in the research work to study the continuous monitoring of the technical condition of railway structures in mountainous and foothill areas, it was found that there is no system for continuous monitoring of railway structures. Based on the analysis of the questionnaire, it was necessary to conduct an analysis of the results of the assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed technical equipment for railway structures.

2. Visual and instrumental inspection of the railway bridge and aqueduct (gallery) structures on the Angren-Pop 2 railway section in spring, autumn and winter yielded good results. The proposed monitoring and control technical device has been put into practice in foreign countries. However, the proposed monitoring and control technical device is not available on the railways of Uzbekistan, therefore, in the research work, it was improved and implemented in accordance with the climate and conditions of the Republic of Uzbekistan (especially for mountain and foothill railway sections).

3. The economic efficiency of the proposed method was assessed using the example of railway bridges and viaducts (galleries) located on the Angreng-Pop 2 railway section. The existing and proposed methods in practice were compared to eliminate defects and damage that cause emergency situations in the bridge and viaduct (gallery) part of the railway structure and to increase its load-bearing capacity. As a result, when comparing the work performed to increase the reliability of the operational and monitoring control system of railway bridges and viaducts (galleries), the economic efficiency achieved was 38,085,840 soums for railway viaducts (galleries) and 489,172,360 soums for railway bridges.

References

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