June 7, 2022 - TRA Newswire -

Union Pacific Railroad has joined the RailPulse coalition and its effort to develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies in North America’s freight rail industry.

Union Pacific is RailPulse’s seventh member. The other six include GATX Corporation, Genesee & Wyoming, Norfolk Southern, TrinityRail, Watco, and The Greenbrier Companies.

RailPulse was formed in 2020 as a coalition of forward-thinking railcar owners working together to increase safety, efficiency, and visibility in the rail industry by supporting the development and use of GPS and other telematics technologies. Its goal is to provide real-time information and sustained visibility of a railcar’s status, location and condition to shippers, railcar owners and railroads.

“The use of technology to increase shipment visibility is critical for ensuring we meet the needs and expectations of our customers who rely upon us for safe and reliable service, said Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President – Marketing and Sales at Union Pacific. “RailPulse’s mission to establish new standards and support GPS and telematics use enhances customer experiences. Ultimately, an improved shipper experience can attract more shipments to the North American rail network.”

“The Board of RailPulse is very excited to welcome Union Pacific to RailPulse,” said Mike McClellan, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Norfolk Southern. “Interest in RailPulse and the coalition’s mission continues to grow. Adding Union Pacific to our ownership ranks demonstrates the strategic appeal of the transformative technology that RailPulse is pursuing for the betterment of all participants in the rail ecosystem: shippers, builders, railcar owners and the railroads.”

RailPulse is on track to meet its initial milestone for platform introduction in early 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 planned platform launch.

Photo credit: Union Pacific