Condition monitoring of rail transport systems has become a phenomenon of global interest over the past half a century. The approaches to condition monitoring of various rail transport systems—especially in the context of rail vehicle subsystem and track subsystem monitoring—have been evolving, and have become equally significant and challenging. The evolution of the approaches applied to rail systems’ condition monitoring has followed manual maintenance, through methods connected to the application of sensors, up to the currently discussed methods and techniques focused on the mutual use of automation, data processing, and exchange. The aim of this paper is to provide an essential overview of the academic research on the condition monitoring of rail transport systems. This paper reviews existing literature in order to present an up-to-date, content-based analysis based on a coupled methodology consisting of bibliometric performance analysis and systematic literature review. This combination of literature review approaches allows the authors to focus on the identification of the most influential contributors to the advances in research in the analyzed area of interest, and the most influential and prominent researchers, journals, and papers. These findings have led the authors to specify research trends related to the analyzed area, and additionally identify future research agendas in the investigation from engineering perspectives.

Ride comfort for passengers remains a pressing topic. The level of comfort in a vehicle can influences passengers’ preferences for a particular means of transport. The article aims to evaluate the influence of changes in suspension parameters on the ride comfort for passengers. The theoretical background includes a description of the applied method for a creating the virtual model of an investigated vehicle as well as the method of evaluating the ride comfort. The ride comfort of the vehicle is assessed based on the standard method, which involves calculating the mean comfort method, i.e., ride comfort index N_MV in chosen points on a body floor. The N_MV ride comfort index (Mean Comfort Standard Method) requires the input of acceleration signals in three directions. The rest of the article offers the results of simulation computations. The stiffness–damping parameters of the primary and secondary suspension systems were changed at three levels and the vehicle was run on the real track section. The ride index N_MV was calculated for all three modifications of the suspension system in the chosen fifteen points of the body floor. It was found that lower values in the stiffness of the secondary suspension system lead to lower levels of ride comfort in the investigated railway passenger car; however, lower values in the stiffness–damping parameters of the primary suspension system did not decrease the levels of ride comfort as significantly.

Rail vehicle suspension is responsible for providing proper running behavior and safety. In order to keep appropriate safety level, low wear of wheels and rails, and also regular transport services, it should be monitored. The paper deals with the problem of suspension fault detection by introducing methods implemented in rail and track monitoring system developed within the framework of the project: ‘MONIT – Monitoring of Technical State of Construction and Evaluation of its Lifespan’. The approach to suspension fault detection presented in the paper consists of three levels, especially the method based on the multidimensional analysis of acceleration signals statistical parameters.

The article discusses the use of pivot bearing friction liners, made of selected materials, in railway freight wagons’ spherical centre bowls. Comparative studies on the effect of suspension dynamics on the equivalent stresses in the liner material were carried out using the finite element method and multibody simulation. The results show the magnitude and location of the highest stresses in the liner with varying input loads, friction coefficients and interacting materials. The analysis is a basis for a simulation method for predicting the fatigue life of the suspension friction liner placed in the centre bowl between the bogie frame and the vehicle body.