Visibility and Planning (RVP)
RailConnect™
RailConnect Visibility and Planning (RVP) empowers railroad shippers with the visibility, control, and efficiency transportation teams need to keep production moving and scale their business.
Proactively manage railcar placement and order cars on demand to keep your operations running smoothly.
RailConnect Visibility and Planning (RVP) helps shippers plan, forecast, and manage railcar supply every day with confidence. The solution enables users to create flexible plans by railcar type and forecast daily railcar requirements based on operational demand.
RVP continuously evaluates expected railcar supply against planned demand, clearly highlighting surpluses and shortages by car type. These insights allow shippers to quickly identify gaps and take action before they impact operations.
Plans are fully dynamic and can be adjusted up to 30 days in advance to align with changing orders, production levels, or product availability. As railcars move through the network, RVP automatically updates forecasts using real‑time movement data and advanced planning algorithms.
When demand exceeds forecasted supply, users can seamlessly order additional railcars directly from their serving railroad within the application—ensuring the right cars are in the right place, exactly when they’re needed.
Product Capabilities
RailConnect Visibility and Planning (RVP)
- Standard Visibility & Interaction
- View railcars enroute to your location
- View railcars in your facility / yard
- Provide railroads with detailed instructions for managing rail shipments, including ordering and releasing cars and requesting special services such as weights, turns, or holds
- Conduct rail operations from a single unified information portal
- Get timely information and communicate seamlessly with short line railroads through a shared view to maximize service and efficiency
RVP | RVP+ | |
| VISIBILITY | ||
| Inbound railcars to plant: loaded, empty, net tons, storage | X | X |
| Railcars enroute to railroad: loaded, empty, net tons, storage | X | X |
| Railcars on-hand at plant/yard: loaded, empty, net tons, storage | X | X |
| Outbound railcars: loaded, empty, net tons, storage | X | X |
| Railcars bad ordered | X | X |
| Railcars in storage | X | X |
| Railcar movements on Short Line railroads | X | X |
| Railcar movements on Class 1 railroads |
| X |
| Shipper demand forecast (30 days) |
| X |
| Dynamic Railcar ETAs |
| X |
Benefits
Propel your railroad to new levels
RailConnect Transportation Management delivers outcomes that can propel your railroad to new levels of operational and commercial excellence
Visibility
View inbound railcar pipeline – up to 30 days in advance
Efficiency
Align rail logistics to production needs
Productivity
Reduce time spent searching for information through one comprehensive information source that connects short lines, class 1s, and shippers
Planning and automation
Optimize rail car execution through integrated workload planning and work-order automation tools
