Some of the most important materials that need recycling are generated by the construction industry. This waste has a multitude of disposal problems. In the specific case of railways, the treatment of materials taken from track maintenance and renewal operations is even more challenging. Every year, tons of track materials are replaced on rail tracks all over the world. These kilometres of rails, sleepers, and tons of ballast can be reused for other purposes. However, sometimes the environmental cost generated by their secondary use is worse than the problems involved in their disposal. This work describes a revised methodology to improve the recycling process of these waste track materials and considers the carbon footprint generated during the process along with important advantages and benefits for the economy and the environment. The reuse of these worn track materials is important to extend their life cycle and reduce environmental and economic costs in the long term. This research aims to analyse dismantled track material and evaluate possible second uses, taking into account the carbon footprint generated. Special attention has been placed on environmentally friendly uses such as fencing protected areas or green routes, among others.

This analysis deals with the problem of track degradation and monitoring methods. The main aim is to discuss benefits, drawbacks, and shortages of most of them. There are several monitoring failures approach available today, but no one can predict when or where a failure will occur. This study examines several types of track failures found in railway tracks. Among the many procedures and measures used to deal with these types of track degradation, the authors propose simplified mobile application for investigating the condition of the track. The major goal of the research is to review and provide approaches for track life prediction based on the previous methodologies. The failure prediction can be determined by looking at the degradation of various railway track components. The paper initially addresses railway tracks and their components. Then, it will go over the most usual types of failures that can occur on a railway track and discussion of monitoring techniques. Starting from the methods used when a component fails, it proposes a new prediction method for failures and track life based on the simplified approach to track monitoring using a mobile by a systematic collection of data plots obtained with smartphones in a real track section in India.