Analysis of temperature impact on audio frequency track circuits using linear regression model

Abstract

Track circuits form a critical part of the railway infrastructure, indicating when sections of track are clear or occupied. One of the drawbacks of track circuits is that their performance is related to weather conditions, with reduced reliability and potentially faulty operation in extreme weather. A qualitative relationship between track circuits and weather patterns has been established in previous work but not quantified. In this paper, data collected from track circuits using amonitoring system is used to investigate the quantitative relationship between track circuit performance and weather conditions using linear regression model. The conclusions may be useful for understanding how the parameters of track circuits may take on various values during installation or maintenance that should be considered.