TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE IN THE RAILWAY SYSTEM

This study aims to evaluate the need for a change in the maintenance philosophy used for the permanent route of the railway concession that provides the service for rail passengers in a metropolitan region. It also examines the need for production improvement, due to the requirement for a change in the rolling stock. The technique of total productive maintenance and its indicators are applied to evaluate the procedure for replacement of sleepers in narrow gauge lines. The history of the railway in Brazil is also presented, together with citations on the components of railway systems, the permanent way and a case study showing the strategy chosen in order to reduce the time for improvements by more than 10%.