A consortium of railway industry stakeholders, from railroads to car lessors and shippers has launched its key technology platform, RailPulse. 

The tool will provide real-time data to give stakeholders and customers location and condition statuses for the freight railcar fleet across North America. 

The “coalition” said the tool would enhance safety and efficiency for freight forwarders and railway operators. 

According to the company, the platform “aggregates, enriches and securely stores data from sensors and other sources, delivering it to users through a web portal and application programming interfaces (APIs).”

The “wide variety” of sensors it can be plugged in to include those relaying location, load, and impact data. It will also be able to tell customers if handbrakes are left on (or off), or if doors are open. 

The systems have been tested for two years, which followed the first two years of its existence dedicated to design and market research. 

The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) all contributed financially to the project. 

David Shannon, general manager of RailPulse, explained the rationale behind the technology product. 

“By creating a common, open and vendor-neutral railcar telematics ecosystem, we are enabling unprecedented access to real-time data and insights that will transform the rail customer experience, improve the overall performance of the rail network accelerating supply chains, and ultimately drive industry growth that fuels the national economy,” he said. 

Current board member companies at RailPulse are: Bunge, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX, GATX Corporation, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Railroad Development Corporation, The Greenbrier Companies, TrinityRail, Union Pacific Railroad and Watco Companies LLC.

Chief Strategy Officer at Norfolk Southern, and current chair of the RailPulse board Mike McClellan said the cross-industry effort would result in cross-industry benefits. 

“By joining forces with other rail industry stakeholders, we are creating a common platform that will enhance visibility, efficiency, and safety across the entire rail network,” he added.