There was no supplementary system of inspection that was effective in identifying rail creep in jointed track. The network placed a high reliance on the asset management system to initiate closer inspection of track potentially affected by creep.
The proactive safety action should improve the the capabilities of maintenance personnel and therefore the effectiveness of inspection. However, there has been no significant documented enhancement in the scope of inspections of jointed track.
V/Line advised that the network standard for the inspection and assessment of lateral stability has been amended to provide specific guidance in respect of joint gap analysis. Instructions have been provided to evaluate Stress Free Temperature (SFT) through joint gap assessment.
In addition, V/Line advised that mentoring of field personnel during rail creep validation was underpinning improvements in inspection and the identification of locations prone to rail creep.
