Wheel-rail rolling contact behavior induced by both rail surface irregularity and sleeper hanging defects on a high-speed railway line

•Sleeper hanging defects are studied with a wheel-rail transient rolling contact model.•Rail irregularities are an input for the analysis of wheel-rail contact behavior and rail degradation.•Both rail irregularity geometry and its position affect severity of sleeper hanging.•Sleeper hanging defects exacerbate the plastic deformation of the rail material.•Sleeper hanging defects rarely affect the distribution of adhesion-slip states and rolling contact fatigue.