Railway coalition launches real-time data platform

RailPulse, a coalition of rail industry leaders that includes Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), announced the launch of its new technology infrastructure that provides near real-time data and insights across the North American freight railcar fleet.

The platform leverages GPS and other telematics technologies to monitor the location, condition and health of railcars, aiming to enhance safety, efficiency and visibility for rail shippers, railroads and railcar owners.

The RailPulse 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 platform accommodates a wide variety of railcar sensors, including those for location, movement, load, handbrake, door/hatch status, impact and more. Owners get all data on their railcars, while approved data is securely shared with authorized users. Users can also set up alerts, geofences and reports to manage their railcar fleets and shipments more effectively.

The launch is the culmination of two years of development and testing in collaboration with RailPulse coalition members and telemetry vendors. The coalition received active support through a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

“We are thrilled to launch the RailPulse platform, which represents a significant milestone for the rail industry,” said David Shannon, general manager of RailPulse. “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.”

The key objectives of RailPulse include:

• Industry-wide telematics infrastructure: RailPulse facilitates collaboration among industry players by creating a secure, trusted, standardized and vendor neutral railcar telematics infrastructure that spans the entire North American freight rail industry.
• Data-driven transformation: RailPulse harnesses the power of GPS and sensor data, data standardization and cloud storage to deliver actionable data to all rail stakeholders enabling improved service, visibility, safety, sustainability and productivity.
• Enhanced service through visibility: RailPulse empowers shippers with near real-time insights into railcar and goods movements enabling them to make better, more informed supply chain decisions and optimize their operations.

The RailPulse platform is governed by a board of directors composed of representatives from four categories of equity owners: rail shippers, Class I railroads, short line railroads and railcar lessors. Current board members are Bunge, CPKC, CSX, GATX Corporation, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Railroad Development Corporation, The Greenbrier Companies, TrinityRail, Union Pacific Railroad and Watco Companies LLC.

“RailPulse is a groundbreaking initiative that will revolutionize the way we operate and serve our customers,” said Mike McClellan, chairman of the RailPulse board, and senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at Norfolk Southern. “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.”

RailPulse is now open for enrollment and welcomes stakeholders from across the industry to join the transformation. Railcar owners who join RailPulse will benefit from access to their own railcars and shared data on other railcars they use. RailPulse also offers a certification program for telemetry vendors who want to participate in the platform.