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Railway Track Inspection Checklist (Plain Line, Points and Crossings)

A walking or trolley inspection of a length of track, plain line and points, recorded kilometre by kilometre. The defect topics follow the track and civil precursors that South African operators report to the Railway Safety Regulator, so a defect found on foot is recorded in the terms the quarterly report uses.

On the interval your track maintenance plan sets, and after heavy rain, a derailment or reported damage · 27 checks · free printable PDF

Legal basis checked 26 October 2026

A track worker in a hi-vis jacket walking between the rails of a railway line

What the checklist covers

Rail and joints

No broken or cracked railsPhoto
Rail head wear, corrugation and surface defects within your limits
Welds and insulated joints sound; no dipped or battered joints
Fishplates and bolts present and tight
No rail creep, buckle or kick-outPhoto

Sleepers, fastenings and ballast

Sleepers sound: no cracked, rotten or hanging sleepers
Fastenings and clips present and tight; no missing pads
Ballast shoulder and crib full; no fouled ballast or mud spots

Track geometry

Gauge within limits; no gauge widening
Cant and twist within limits
Line and level: no slacks or kinksPhoto

Points and crossings

Switch blades fit the stock rail; no chipped or damaged blades
Stretcher bars, slide chairs and check rails secure
Crossing nose and wing rails free of cracks and excessive wearPhoto
Locking and detection working (checked with the signal maintainer where your rules require)

Drainage, earthworks and structures

Drains, culverts and cess clear; no standing water or washawaysPhoto
Cuttings and embankments stable; no slips, rock falls or sinkholesPhoto
Bridges, culverts and tunnels show no visible structural damage
Structure clearances unobstructed

Lineside and level crossings

Trackside indicators and speed boards present and legible
Level crossing warning equipment, road surface and signs in order
Vegetation clear of the track, signals and sightlines
Fencing intact; no encroachment or trespass paths
No theft or vandalism of rail, fastenings, cables or overhead traction equipmentPhoto

Defects and protection

Every defect recorded with its km point and its precursor category
Speed restriction or protection in place where a defect needs it, with the boards placedPhoto
Defects reported to the track maintenance supervisor the same shift

How to use this checklist

1Walk or trolley the length set for today, one sheet per section, and write the km from and to in the header.
2Look at the rail and joints, sleepers and ballast, geometry, points and crossings, drainage and structures, and the lineside, in that order.
3Mark every item OK, Defect or N/A. For each defect, write the km point, what you saw and its precursor category (rail break, kick-out, geometry, gauge widening, washaway, points and crossings) in the defects table, and photograph it.
4Where a defect makes the line unsafe at line speed, put the speed restriction or protection your rules require in place before you move on, and photograph the boards.
5Report the defects to the track maintenance supervisor the same shift, and close each one in the table when the repair is done and checked.

A general guide. Your track maintenance plan and the network's own standards set the limits and the inspection interval; add them to the form. In South Africa the Railway Safety Act, 30 of 2024 replaced the National Railway Safety Regulator Act, 16 of 2002, and SANS 3000-2-2 covers track and civil infrastructure. The defect topics follow category 1, track and civil infrastructure, of the precursors and leading indicators in Table 3 of the draft Regulations regarding Railway Occurrences to be Reported to the Railway Safety Regulator, 2026 (GN 7765 of 31 July 2026), which operators would report quarterly, and the theft topics follow category 1 of its Table 2. The regulations were published for comment and are not yet final.

Legal basis checked on 26 October 2026 against: Draft Regulations regarding Railway Occurrences to be Reported to the Railway Safety Regulator, 2026 (GN 7765 of 31 July 2026), Tables 2 and 3.

Convert this checklist into a digital form

Run it on an Android phone with no signal, attach photos as evidence, and every failed item raises an issue with an owner and a due date.

Start the trial from here and this checklist is waiting in your workspace as a ready-made form.

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Paper finds the defect. Then what?

On paper, a ticked "Defect" box often stays a ticked box. In Inspecable the same checklist keeps going after it is signed:

Run the checklist on an Android phone with no signal; it syncs when the crew is back in range.
A failed item raises an issue with an owner and a due date.
A corrective action cannot close without evidence and a signature.
Every completed inspection produces a signed PDF with its photos.

Questions

How often should railway track be inspected?

As often as the network's track maintenance plan sets, based on line speed, traffic and condition; no South African regulation we have checked fixes an interval. As a benchmark, US federal rules (49 CFR 213.233) require most main track to be inspected at least weekly, and twice weekly on faster or busier lines.

Which track defects are reported to the Railway Safety Regulator?

Derailments, collisions and other occurrences are reported as they happen. Under the 2026 draft occurrence regulations, track and civil precursors are reported quarterly as leading indicators: rail breaks, kick-outs, geometry faults, gauge widening, washaways, defective points and crossings, structural and slope failures, and missing trackside indicators.

Who may carry out a track inspection?

A track inspector or patroller the operator has assessed as competent for that class of line, under its safety management system. The inspector needs the authority to put a speed restriction or protection in place when a defect makes the line unsafe.

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