Cost-Efficiency and Effectiveness of Implementing Inspection Robot for High-Speed Railway Vehicle Maintenance

Since their opening in April 2004, high-speed railway vehicles have constituted a crucial component of transportation infrastructure, requiring continuous maintenance efforts. The high-speed railway vehicle has adopted a time-based preventive maintenance system initially introduced with the KTX through technology transfer from overseas; high-speed railway vehicles developed with domestic technology have also followed this system. However, the prevailing traditional labor-intensive maintenance inspection method is costly and dangerous, and demands substantial labor and expertise. This study focuses on the cost-benefit and economic mplications of deploying inspection robots for the maintenance of high-speed railway vehicles, specifically for inspection of the underbody and running gear components. The analysis revealed that the basic maintenance duration was reduced by approximately 30% for a 10-car train, enabling increased train availability. Economic analysis of implementation of inspection robots indicated that the net present value would attain $5,000,000 by the fifth year, relative to an initial investment of $2,400,000. Furthermore, the benefit-cost ratio would exceed 3.0, demonstrating that benefits exceed costs, and the internal rate of return would reach 53%, indicating strong economic viability.