Enabling Railway AM Optimization Using a Rationale KPIs Framework

Often the top management, in the phase of asset controls, finds itself overwhelmed by the availability of a huge amount of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Most managers are struggling to understand and identify the vital few management metrics and instead collect and report a vast amount of everything that is easy to measure. As a consequence they end up drowning in data while thirsting for information. This condition does not allow a good management of the systems. The research aim’s is to help the Asset Management System (AMS) of a railway infrastructure manager using Business Intelligence (BI) to have a KPIs management system in line with the principles of AM presented by the normative ISO 55000 - 55001 - 55002 and UIC (International Union of Railways) guideline, for the specific case of a railway infrastructure. This work starts from the study of these regulations, continues with the exploration, definition and use of KPIs. Subsequently KPIs of a generic infrastructure are identified and analyzed , especially for the specific case of a railway infrastructure manager. These KPIs are fitted in the internal elements of the AM frameworks (ISO-UIC) for systematization. Moreover an analysis of the KPIs now used in the company is made, compared with the KPIs that an infrastructure manager should have. Starting from here a Gap Analysis is made for the optimization of AMS.