ARM Awarded SCRRA Turnkey Rail Management contract
SCRRA has awarded an innovative multi-year contract for turnkey rail maintenance and grinding services to Advanced Rail Management. The three-year contract, with a two-year option, is for comprehensive rail management services, which include optical rail measurement for profile rail grinding and analysis of rail wear and defect rates. Grinding work will be performed using Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.'s state-of-the art L Series rail grinder under contract to ARM.

"Our goal with this contract is to combine the planning experience of a consultant with the management expertise of a contractor into one integrated service with one point of responsibility," said Michael McGinley, Director, Engineering and Construction of the SCRRA Metrolink system.

As part of the contract, ARM will also evaluate existing SCRRA wheel profiles to ensure that the as-ground profiles improve vehicle ride quality and steering characteristics, and reduce noise levels. "Rail profiles must also be compatible with the average worn wheel profile on the freight trains that operate on the system," said ARM President Gordon Bachinsky.

In addition to the 138 Metrolink trains that the SCRRA operates each weekday, approximately 40 Amtrak trains and 76 freight trains operate daily on the system. The SCRRA is responsible for maintenance of approximately 388 miles of track on the 512-route-mile system.

"One of the things that makes this contract work for us is the use of pre- and post-grind optical rail measurements, which enable the contractor to verify that the grinding objective has been achieved," McGinley said. "The software associated with the measurement system will also enable us to track wear rates over time."

Also as part of the contract, ARM will provide an economic analysis of the SCRRA's annual and long-term rail maintenance program, and include a prioritized five-year rail replacement program.

"This contract could be a precedent for smaller railroad and transit properties with limited ability to objectively manage their rail asset," McGinley said.