The railroads are the invisible backbone of our nation, but they could never function without adequate rail management. Ever since the first tracks were laid in the 19th century, locomotives have been steaming, chugging, and powering across America, their loads as diverse as our country itself.
And though the U.S. is a far different place than the early days of steam engines and railroad tycoons, trains are as indispensable today as they were then: in 2021, 1.5 billion tons of freight originated by rail.
It’s impossible to understate the importance of the industry—and the importance of effective rail management operations. Without an efficient rail management strategy, it’s easy to underutilize rail assets, fall behind on maintenance regimens, overlook safety concerns, or even cause delays in the supply chain.
To combat this, it’s critical to incorporate the latest industry strategies and technologies into an operational gameplan.
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In recent years, advancements in inspection and maintenance practices have helped drive a 49% decrease in mainline train accident rates among Class I rail companies. But as the latest high-profile derailments have shown, safety cannot be taken for granted.
Building standards that are realistic, measurable, and effective is the first step to keeping safety top of mind.
Ensuring that employees are following these standards is the second, and perhaps most important, step. The best rail safety standards in the world mean nothing if they aren’t practiced by the workers for whom these rules are designed to protect.
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Incorporating technology can go a long way toward improving safety and reducing costs. For example, Wheel Profile Detectors can monitor the wheel profiles of moving trains to determine wear and condition.
Another technology, temperature-sensing bearing indicators, can alert if and when a bearing is overheating, while Automated Track Inspection systems can test for and detect the slightest issues along every foot of track.
These are just three of the many solutions now available that leverage technology to improve rail safety and better monitor assets.
By deploying these and other money- and time-saving solutions throughout your railroad’s operational footprint, you can help reduce the risks of the worst happening anytime one of your trains sets out from the depot.
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If you want to run a rail system with military precision, you need to know where your assets are, when they need to be serviced, and what their utilization rates are. And for rail cars specifically, you need to know where they’re going, where they’ve been, and where they might be at any given time.
The secret to doing this with ease? Effective asset tracking.
Asset tracking doesn’t have to be complicated—in fact, it shouldn’t be, and the best asset tracking solutions are durable and effortless.
Take, for example, our custom railroad asset identification options such as Metalphoto® photosensitive anodized aluminum labels. These specialized products feature a sapphire-hard anodized layer to withstand weathering that lesser labels would quickly succumb to.
It’s just the kind of solution that’s needed in the rail industry, where assets live out their lives predominantly in the elements, and where the need for quick and easy asset identification is key.
Labels also play a critical role when it comes to tracking assets on an enterprise level, with QR codes and barcodes now adorning nearly all asset tracking labels. A quick scan is all it takes for a yard worker or inspector to check a unit into a facility, confirm maintenance was completed, or access any asset-specific information such as location history.
On the corporate side, the traceability enabled by coded asset tags allows fleet managers or other stakeholders to quickly look up where assets are or what maintenance may be due.
All this helps to reduce unnecessary downtime, streamline maintenance plans, strategize routes and asset allocation, and much more. The savings and efficiencies gained can make a dramatic impact on daily operations.
Rail transportation can be a 24/7 operation—but only so long as the train cars, railroad tracks and related infrastructure are in sound condition. If inspections lapse or maintenance regimens slip, you’re inviting the chance for a sudden failure to park some of your equipment on the sidelines until repairs can be made.
The safety implication that’s inherent to a reactive service strategy like this—not to mention the financial implications of such unexpected downtime—is why preventive maintenance (PM) is so important in the rail industry. Preemptively servicing rail cars or repairing trackside infrastructure is key to ensuring safe, uninterrupted rail travel.
Even if your maintenance plan is already finalized and followed, it’s important to review and revise it every so often to account for the latest changes in technology, equipment, and best practices. It’s the best way to improve conditions of tracks, rail cars, and other critical assets—and will help save time, money, and headaches in the process.
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Technology has dramatically changed how railroads can monitor services, crew, equipment, and inventory. Today’s rail management software doesn’t just offer real-time data solutions and insights; it also provides an intuitive, fast, web-based framework that lets users quickly and confidently make necessary operational decisions.
All-encompassing solutions can deliver insights that are much harder to deduce when trying to piece together data sourced from multiple locations. As such, adopting this new technology brings benefits like streamlined data collection efforts, improved asset tracking, and reduced operational inefficiencies.
Examples of these programs include those offered by Railroad Software, TransmetriQ, and ServiceMax. Although each software is different in regard to specific features, functionality, and other details, all are predicated on the same idea: total optimization of railway management. It’s a must-have technology for any modern railroad.
Effective rail management is a multifaceted, ever-changing challenge facing all rail operators. But by using the tools and tips suggested here, you’ll be a step ahead when it comes to improving safety, saving money, and gaining transparency into your operations.
ins can vary substantially in length. For example, some might consider a long train to be 7,500 feet (1.4 miles) in length, but the reality is that there are some that are nearly five miles long.
There are a number of potential obstacles and challenges facing the rail industry, but some of the biggest are:
Weather and unexpected breakdowns and repairs will always cause problems for rail transportation, but obstructions on the track can also be an issue. While these concerns can’t always be avoided, it’s a good idea to anticipate problems by allowing a little more transit time when scheduling your operations.
No, there are currently no limitations on the length of freight trains and trains can vary substantially in length. For example, some might consider a long train to be 7,500 feet (1.4 miles) in length, but the reality is that there are some that are nearly five miles long.
Our sales engineers are experts in automatic asset tracking, tagging and identification,a nd can answer all your questions. Get in touch now.
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