Digitally Transforming North America’s Freight Rail Industry
Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) has joined the RailPulse coalition and its efforts to develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies that increase safety, efficiency and visibility across North America’s freight-rail industry. The coalition’s goal is to provide real-time information on railcars’ status, location and condition to shippers, railcar owners and railroads.
The other seven coalition members include GATX Corporation, Genesee & Wyoming, Norfolk Southern, TrinityRail, Watco, The Greenbrier Companies and Union Pacific Railroad.
“Deploying this critical technology at scale presents one of the biggest single opportunities for our industry to improve safety and service quality: and while this offers many benefits to railroads, more importantly, it offers many benefits to our customers,” said Ida Posner, Vice President – Strategic Planning at RDC.
RDC Chairman Henry Posner III added, “RailPulse’s industry-first approach is well aligned with RDC’s culture of partnerships, and we look forward to bringing our global perspective to the coalition.”
“The Board of RailPulse is excited to welcome RDC to RailPulse,” said Mike McClellan, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Norfolk Southern. “Interest in RailPulse and its mission continues to grow. RDC brings a breadth of railroad experience in North America and around the world. This demonstrates the continuing appeal of the transformative technology that RailPulse represents.”
RailPulse is on track to meet its initial milestone for platform introduction in 2023. Member companies are currently facilitating trials with remote monitoring equipment from select vendors on their railcars. As the coalition receives and analyzes data from these trials, members plan to share conclusions later this year in preparation of the platform launch.
About RailPulse
RailPulse, formed in 2020 by a diverse group of industry leading stakeholders, includes Norfolk Southern Corporation, Union Pacific Railroad, GATX, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Watco Companies LLC, The Greenbrier Companies, and TrinityRail. The group aims to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of GPS and other telematics technology across the North American railcar network to significantly increase visibility, efficiency, and safety.
About Railroad Development Corporation
RDC (www.rrdc.com) is a family-owned railway investment and management company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Its business model is based on partnerships, including interests in the Iowa Interstate Railroad and multiple freight, logistics, and passenger operations in South America and Europe.
