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The purpose of this paper is to summarize the status and characteristics of rail technology of high-speed railway in China, and point out the development direction of rail technology of high-speed railway.

This study reviews the evolution of high-speed rail standards in China, comparing their chemical composition, mechanical attributes and geometric specifications with EN standards. It delves into the status of rail production technology, shifts in key performance indicators and the quality characteristics of rails. The analysis further examines the interplay between wheels and rails, the implementation of grinding technology and the techniques for inspecting rail service conditions. It encapsulates the salient features of rail operation and maintenance within the high-speed railway ecosystem. The paper concludes with an insightful prognosis of high-speed railway technology development in China.

The rail standards of high-speed railway in China are scientific and advanced, highly operational and in line with international standards. The quality and performance of rail in China have reached the world’s advanced level. The 60N profile guarantees the operation quality of wheel–rail interaction effectively. The rail grinding technology system scientifically guarantees the long-term good service performance of the rail. The rail service state detection technology is scientific and efficient. The rail technology will take “more intelligent” and “higher speed” as the development direction to meet the future needs of high-speed railway in China.

The development direction of rail technology for high-speed railway in China is defined, which will promote the continuous innovation and breakthrough of rail technology.

It is quite universal for high-speed turnouts to be exposed to the wear of the stock rail of the switch rail during the service process. The wear will cause the change of railhead profile and the relative positions of the switch rail and the stock rail, which will directly affect the wheel–rail contact state and wheel load transition when a train passes the turnout and will further impose serious impacts on the safety and stability of train operation. The purpose of this paper is to provide suggestions for wear management of high-speed turnout.

The actual wear characteristics of switch rails of high-speed turnouts in different guiding directions were studied based on the monitoring results on site; the authorized wear limits for the switch rails of high-speed turnout were studied through derailment risk analysis and switch rail strength analysis.

The results show that: the major factor for the service life of a curved switch rail is the lateral wear. The wear characteristics of the curved switch rail of a facing turnout are significantly different from those of a trailing turnout. To be specific, the lateral wear of the curved switch rail mainly occurs in the narrower section at its front end for a trailing turnout, but in the wider section at its rear end when for a facing turnout. The maximum lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a trailing turnout is found on the 15-mm wide section and is 3.9 mm, which does not reach the specified limit of 6 mm. For comparison, the lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a facing turnout is found from the 35-mm wide section to the full-width section and is greater than 7.5 mm, which exceeds the specified limit. Based on this, in addition to meeting the requirements of maintenance rules, the allowed wear of switch rails of high-speed turnout shall be so that the dangerous area with a tangent angle of wheel profile smaller than 43.6° will not contact the switch rail when the wheel is lifted by 2 mm. Accordingly, the lateral wear limit at the 5-mm wide section of the curved switch rail shall be reduced from 6 mm (as specified) to 3.5 mm.

The work in this paper is of reference significance to the research on the development law of rail wear in high-speed turnout area and the formulation of relevant standards.

With the continuous increase in the operating speed of high-speed trains, the wear and tear of rails on high-speed lines has also gradually deteriorated. At present, the phenomenon of asymmetric wear of rails in high-speed lines is relatively serious. This paper aims to analyze the effect of three typical rail profile wear on vehicle operation performance.

To solve this problem, by analyzing the wheel-rail contact relationship and establishing a vehicle dynamics model, the influence of worn typical rail profiles on the vehicle’s dynamic performance and carbody abnormal vibration is analyzed. Additionally, the effect of worn rail profiles on wheel wear is analyzed using a wear model.

The results showed that, compared to the standard rail profile, the three typical wear rail profiles show an increase in normal contact stress. The ride and safety indexes of the three rail profiles also increased compared with the CHN60 profile. The rail Profile 3 does not affect carbody vibration, while Profile 1 and Profile 2 can cause hunting vibrations of the carbody, with the main vibration frequencies around 7 Hz. The wheel wear depths under three typical rail profiles are 1.185 mm, 1.11 mm and 1.058 mm.

The effect of the measured typical rail profiles on the vehicle’s performance is analyzed, particularly in terms of abnormal vibrations and wheel wear. This analysis can provide guidance for the long-term maintenance of the rail system.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2023-0270/

With the increased speed and mileage of high-speed lines, the problem of rail wear is increasing. In actual operation, a large number of abnormal wear phenomena occur on both vehicles and rails during fixed line operation; therefore, the purpose of the study is to explored the rail wear for a variety of vehicles running in mixed operation.

This paper used the universal mechanism multibody dynamics software to establish the CRH2 high speed train (HST) and the CRH3 HST vehicle dynamic models, respectively. The mixed running of HSTs on the effect of rail wear evolution law was analyzed. The rail wear of the two vehicles with different curve radii, different wheel diameters and different under-rail stiffness was compared and analyzed.

The result showed that the rail wear of CRH3 HST is greater than that of CRH2 HST. The rail wear in the tangent track under mixed operation conditions is 25.4% less than when CRH3 HST operated independently. When there is a 1-mm wheel diameter difference, the maximum rail wear of CRH2 HST and CRH3 HST increases by 263% and 44%, respectively. The amount of rail wear is proportional to the under-rail stiffness, and the position of the maximum wear is almost unchanged.

Most studies on the evolution law of rail wear are conducted for a single vehicle type and a single line. This study explored the mixed running of HSTs on the effect of rail wear evolution law.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2023-0276/

In order to systematically grasp the changes and matching characteristics of wheel and rail profiles of high speed railway (HSR) in China, 172 rail profile measurement points and 384 wheels of 6 high-speed electric motive unites (EMUs) were selected on 6 typical HSR lines, including Beijing–Shanghai, Wuhan–Guangzhou, Harbin–Dalian, Lanzhou–Xinjiang, Guiyang–Guangzhou and Dandong–Dalian for a two-year field test.

Based on the measured data, the characteristics of rail and wheel wear were analyzed by mathematical statistics method. The equivalent conicity of wheel and rail matching in a wheel reprofiling cycle was analyzed by using the measured rail profile.

Results showed that when the curve radius of HSR was larger than 2,495 m, the wear rate of straight line and curve rail was almost the same. For the line with annual traffic gross weight less than 11 Mt, the vertical wear of rail was less than 0.01 mm. The wear rate of the rail with the curve radius less than 800 m increased obviously. The wheel tread wear of EMUs on Harbin–Dalian line, Lanzhou–Xinjiang line and Dandong–Dalian line was relatively large, and the average wear rate of tread was about 0.05–0.06 mm·(10,000 km)⁻¹, while that of Beijing–Shanghai line, Wuhan–Guangzhou line and Guiyang–Guangzhou line was about 0.03–0.035 mm·(10,000 km)⁻¹. When the wear range was small, the equivalent conicity increased with the increase of wheel tread wear. When the wear range of wheel was wide, the wheel–rail contact points were evenly distributed, and the equivalent conicity did not increase obviously.

This research proposes the distribution range of the equivalent conicity in one reprofiling cycle of various EMU trains, which provides guidance for the condition-based wheel reprofiling.

This paper aims to document and to illustrate highly usable research: a practical framework for realizing the sustainable operations of the high investment, technology-intensive high-speed railways in China. Also, for the first time, we draw a broad, metaphorical relationship between railways within a country to Chinese meridian lines within a human body. These are similar in enabling flows across the country and human body.

Employing Chinese case studies, we attempt to apply methodological procedures involving operational, financial and developmental in realizing the sustainability of high-speed railways. Critical criteria are emphasized for efficiency, financial viability and long-term funding sustained development of high-speed railways in the Chinese context. Policymakers may utilize the illustrative framework in working toward specific recommendations that may be implementable.

Three critical aspects to sustainability are operational, financial solvency and developmental. Our empirical investigations result in the working out of the procedural aspects as well. Based on this three-way classification, we design an evaluative framework for realizing sustainability of high-speed railways. Our insights are based on the social reality of China. Thus, we argue that cash handouts by government are necessary solutions, given the intensive capital investments required of high-speed railways for strongly positive externalities generated. On developmental aspects of sustainability, there should be rational, in-depth studies conducted so as to lead to rational choices of sites. Strong passenger flows coupled with affordability of fares are the twin guarantees of continuing, profitable performances.

This work on sustainability is globally, most highly significant for two reasons. First, railway is one fundamental mean of transportation within China. Thus, the sustainability of railway matters to a majority of the 1.3 billion people. Second, transport volume of China’s railway is the world’s largest. By developing such a comprehensive methodology, we hope to enhance how top management of Chinese Railways may keep the high-speed railways sustainable into the future.

This paper is socially highly significant, especially in the context of what has happened in recent years in China’s railway industry, and may contribute by providing both the regulators and management with an objective methodology in future projects assessment within high-speed railway.

This paper develops an overall framework for enabling management to realize sustainability of high-speed railway within China. The ideas, concepts and methodologies are likely beneficial to top management, regulators and policymakers within the railway transportation, a state monopoly.

The purpose of this paper is to generate line plan in emergencies for railway networks to complete the passenger transportation.

The authors first build a mathematical model, focusing on the frequency setting and stops setting. Then, considering the OD passenger flow data, the authors first propose the method to solve the train frequency setting problem of different types. Genetic algorithm is designed to solve the stops setting problem. The approach is tested with the data from Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway and its neighbour existing railway.

The authors find that the model is suitable to generate line plan in emergencies for railway networks and the algorithm has good calculating performance.

The new algorithms to generate line plan proposed in this paper can be embedded in the decision support system for railway operators.

The purpose of this study is to develop a transient wheel–rail rolling contact model to primarily investigate the rail damage under wet condition when the train passes through the welded joints.

The impact force induced by welded joints is obtained through vehicle–track coupling dynamics. The normal and tangential wheel–rail contact pressures were solved by elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) theory and simplified third-body layer theory, respectively. Then, the obtained tangential pressure and normal pressure were applied to the finite element model as moving loads, simulating cyclic loading. Finally, the shakedown map and critical plane method were used to predict rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and the initiation of fatigue cracks.

The results indicate that RCF will occur and fatigue cracks are more prone to appear on the subsurface of the rail, specifically around 2.7 mm below the rail surface in the vicinity of the welded joint and its heat-affected zone.

The cosimulation of numerical model and finite element model was implemented. The influence of surface roughness and fluids was considered. In this model, the normal and tangential wheel–rail contact pressure, the stress and strain and the rail fatigue cracks were obtained under a rail-welded joint excitation.

The high-speed rail network can lead to the transformation of the tourism industry, as well as the regional economy. In the present study, a reasonable method was developed to assess the contributions of high-speed rail network to the development of tourism and economy in a Chinese region known as the “1 + 8” city tourism circle.

The method proposed here combines not only tourism revenue but also regional economy in a MGM (1, n) gray model, and it studies the tourist and economic output of this tourism circle before and after the high-speed rail network’s construction using an advanced “with and without comparison” method.

By using this method, the accuracy of the prediction of the contribution rate of high-speed rail network is improved. We found that in the “1 + 8” city tourism circle, the high-speed rail network positively contributes to increase of the tourism arrival and tourism revenue. Furthermore, regional economy significantly grows under the impact of the high-speed rail network.

The “1 + 8” city tourism circle is studied as a closed system in this paper, and the authors focus on the economic associations between the cities in the circle by ignoring the impact from outside this circle. This treatment means, simplifies and enables the feasibility of this study, but it virtually leads to the deviation of outcomes between this study and the practical.

For theoretical values, by studying a normal Chinese inland region, this study reconfirmed the positive impact of high-speed railway empirically. In the meantime, this study developed an improved method by introducing gray theory models to “with and without comparison” method to calculate the contribution of high-speed railway to the regional tourism and economy development. Such method simultaneously incorporates the indexes of regional tourism income and regional GDP simultaneously. It is direct and convenient as it can achieve accuracy requirements using only a small amount of data, and it reconciles more with reality by considering the interaction of the outcomes of tourism and economy.

For practical values, using the proposed method, a direct and convenient calculation of the contributions of high-speed railway to many other regions can be achieved if the data of the outcomes of tourism and economy can be obtained. In such a way, the regions that really need high-speed railway to stimulate their development can be distinguished from regions whose high-speed railway is under blind construction. Thus, the government may take actions to reassess some uneconomic high-speed railway projects without discouraging the construction of high-speed railway in other regions. The authors believe that this is important not only for China but also for many other countries with high-speed railway projects.

This study develops a reasonable method of assessing the contribution of high-speed rail to regional tourism and economic development. Using this method, this study confirmed that high-speed rail indeed positively impacts the regional development.

抽象

高速铁路（HSR）网络可以带动旅游业乃至区域经济的转型。本研究构建了一个合理的方法来评估高铁网络对中国 “1+8” 城市旅游圈的旅游产业和区域经济发展的贡献。

本文提出的方法将旅游收入和区域经济的指标结合在一个MGM（1，n）灰色模型中，并采用先进的 “有无比较法” 来研究高铁网建设前后该旅游圈的旅游和经济产出。

利用该方法，可更精准地预测高速铁路网的贡献率。研究发现，在“1+8” 城市旅游圈中，高铁网络对游客到访量和旅游收入的增加起到了积极的促进作用。此外，在高铁网络的影响下，区域经济得到了显著增长。

本文将 “1+8” 城市旅游圈作为一个封闭的系统进行研究，忽略了外部因素的影响，而重点研究旅游圈内城市之间的经济联系。这种处理方法简化了本研究的过程，增加了研究的可行性，但实际上导致了本研究结果与现实存在偏差。

就理论上而言，本文通过对一个典型的中国内陆地区展开研究，从经验上重新确认了高速铁路的积极影响。同时，将灰色理论模型引入到“有无比较法” 中，提出了一种改进方法，用以计算高速铁路对区域旅游业和经济发展的贡献。该方法同时结合了区域旅游收入和GDP指标，十分直接方便，只需要少量数据就可以达到准确的要求；并且由于它考虑到了旅游业和经济的相互作用，更符合实际。

就实用价值而言，只需获得旅游业和经济成果的数据，即可利用该方法直接方便地计算高铁对众多其他地区的贡献。这样一来，就可以将真正需要高铁来刺激发展的地区与盲目建设高铁的地区区分开来。由此，政府可以对一些不经济的高速铁路项目进行重新评估，而不妨碍其他地区的高铁建设。笔者认为，这对中国乃至其他许多国家的高铁项目建设来说是很重要的。

本研究提出了一种合理的方法来评价高铁对区域旅游业和经济发展的贡献。利用这一方法，本研究证实了高铁确实对区域发展产生了积极的影响。

Resumen

La red de ferrocarril de alta velocidad (HSR) puede liderar la transformación de la industria turística, así como la economía regional. En el presente estudio, se ha desarrollado un método para evaluar las contribuciones de la red ferroviaria de alta velocidad, en el desarrollo económico en una región China conocida como el círculo de turismo urbano “1+8”.

El método que se propone combina, no solamente los ingresos por turismo, sino también la economía regional en un modelo MGM (1,n) gris, y estudia la producción turística y económica de este círculo turístico, antes y después de las construcción de la red ferroviaria de alta velocidad utilizando un método “con y sin comparación”.

Usando este método, se mejora la predicción de la tasa de contribución de la red de alta velocidad. Nosotros descubrimos que en el círculo “1+8”, la red ferroviaria de alta velocidad contribuye positivamente al aumento en la llegadas de turistas y los ingresos por turismo. Además, la economía regional, crece significativamente bajo el impacto de esta red.

En este artículo, el círculo de turismo urbano “1+8”, se estudia como un sistema cerrado, se enfoca en la asociación económica entre las ciudades, pero ignorando el impacto desde fuera. Este tratamiento significa simplificar y habilitar la viabilidad de este estudio, pero prácticamente conduce a la desviación de los resultados entre este estudio y la practica.

El valor teórico, estudiando una región normal del interior de China, reconfirma el impacto positivo del ferrocarril de alta velocidad. Mientras tanto, este estudio desarrolla un método mejorado, introduciendo los modelos de “teoría gris” en los métodos “con y sin comparación”, para el calculo de la contribución del ferrocarril de alta velocidad en el desarrollo de la economía regional y turística. Además y simultáneamente, el método incorpora los índices de ingresos del turismo regional y el PIB. Esto es directo y conveniente, ya que puede cumplir con los requisitos de precisión, usando solamente una pequeña cantidad de datos, y concilia más con la realidad considerando la interacción del resultado del turismo y economía.

Para los valores prácticos, usando el modelo propuesto, se puede lograr un cálculo directo y conveniente de las contribuciones del ferrocarril de alta velocidad a muchas otras regiones, y se pueden obtener datos del impacto del turismo y la economía. De esta manera, las regiones que realmente necesiten el ferrocarril de alta velocidad para estimular su desarrollo, se podrán diferenciar de aquellas otras que lo planteen a ciegas. Por lo tanto, los gobiernos deberían tomar acciones para reevaluar algunos proyectos ferroviarios de alta velocidad ineficientes, sin desalentar la construcción de los mismos en otras regiones. Los autores creen que esto no sólo es importante para China, sino también para muchos otros países con proyectos de ferrocarriles de alta velocidad.

Este estudio desarrolla un método razonable de evaluación de la contribución del ferrocarril de alta velocidad, en el desarrollo de la economías regionales y turísticas. Usando este método, este estudio confirma que el ferrocarril de alta velocidad añade impactos positivos en el desarrollo regional.