Driving Efficiency in Rail Transportation Management: Online Inventory

By Nichole Peterson, Senior Product Manager, Wabtec

The Challenge:

Moving freight by rail is inherently scalable and energy-saving. In fact, U.S. freight railroads, on average, move one ton of freight more than 480 miles on a single gallon of fuel*. And yet, railroading processes are not always the most efficient. The modernization of RailConnect™ Transportation Management is changing that paradigm.

Solving Pain Points:

As part of the modernization of RailConnect™ Transportation Management, Wabtec is simplifying daily tasks, providing holistic views of key information, and empowering the workforce. Online Inventory is a great example. Traditionally, it could take multiple clicks, using memorized commands, to see online inventory. And car movements could only be executed from one location to one location – each car at a time. It’s a tedious process requiring brainpower and time. Now, with simply one click, users can see the online inventory of all stations and active trains across the railroad in a comprehensive view. In addition, car moves can be executed in bulk, with the ability to move multiple cars to different locations – all from one convenient screen. It’s railroading at scale!  

New Capabilities Driving Efficiency:

• Comprehensive online inventory visibility: The New RailConnect™ Transportation Management system combines best of breed cloud technology with state-of-the-art visualization and modular services architecture. A key benefit of this is the ability to consolidate data across stations and provide a complete view into online inventory with a single click.
• Real time: View data live. No need to pull static reports.
• Intuitive navigation: No need to memorize commands.
• Two views: List and visual, to appeal to user preferences.
• Easy screen customization: Move, drag, and drop columns. Color code railcars by commodity, block-to, switch-to, and equipment kind for fast viewing and quick comprehension.

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The online inventory and car movement capabilities are available in the New RailConnect™ Transportation Management today.

Learn More:

• View the complete RailConnect™ Transportation Management portfolio on our website
• Please nichole [dot] peterson [at] wabtec [dot] com (contact me directly) to inquire about becoming an early adopter and collaborate to build the future of rail transportation management – together!

*The Association of American Railroads

About the Author

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Nichole Peterson is the Senior Product Manager for RailConnect™ Transportation Management. She works closely with customers to ensure that RailConnect™ unlocks value and propels the rail industry to new heights of operational performance. Prior to joining Wabtec, Nichole worked at a major short line railroad as an operations leader. Nichole is a graduate of Mount Mercy University.