Mean distance between failure

nounStandard termRailroad

A statistical metric tracking how many miles rolling stock operates before breaking down.

A reliability measurement calculated by dividing the total fleet mileage by the number of mechanical failures that cause a delay. Mechanical departments use this metric to evaluate locomotive performance, plan maintenance schedules, and identify problematic classes of equipment.

Heard on the job

The new AC units have a mean distance between failure of over a hundred thousand miles.

Also heard as

  • MDBF