Multi-stakeholder service life design for rail level crossings

Improvement in rail asset safety, comfortability and serviceability is gaining importance. This requires effective service life management by incorporating multi-stakeholder desires in the early design stage. Typical stakeholders are asset owners, train users and maintenance service providers. To allow for this change, the traditional single-sided engineering mechanics track design approach requires a shift towards an integrative design approach that best fits for common purpose while assuring continuous rail asset performance. Within the current paper, a multi-objective simulation-based optimization methodology that combines finite element modeling with preference function modeling is proposed to integrate multi-stakeholder preferences into the service life design. The applicability of the methodology is demonstrated in a design case for level crossings. It is shown that integrating specific stakeholders’ preferences will substantially influence the optimal track design configuration, allowing the level crossing design to be managed focusing on best fit for common purpose rather than on mechanical behavior only.