Developments, challenges, and perspectives of rail corrugation inspection: A review

Rail corrugation, a periodic wear phenomenon on rail surfaces, poses significant challenges to railway operation, affecting ride comfort and safety. Regular inspection and intelligent monitoring of rail corrugation are critical to maintain rail materials and extend rail life effectively. This paper systematically reviews developments, challenges, and future perspectives in rail corrugation inspection. Four primary methodologies—inertial-based, chord-based, computer vision-based, and acoustic-based techniques—are analyzed in terms of their principles, applications, and limitations. The review evaluates these methods through the lens of reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS), providing a holistic framework for selecting inspection systems. After that, the current challenges of rail corrugation inspection are discussed, and future developments in rail corrugation inspection techniques are provided. This paper serves as an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers engaged in the rail corrugation inspection in the railway.