4 ms·

Is precise scheduling of trains really a revolution?

zeckalpha 8y ago
Perhaps not, but business practices fall out of style and get rediscovered over time. This practice of leaving with or without your forecasted cargo reminds me of the software “release train” concept.
- PaulHoule 8y ago
  It sounds like something advanced manufacturers were doing in the late 1970s and that the laggards were talking about in the mid 1990s.
exabrial 8y ago
For cargo yes. Trucks arrival times are predictable within a few hours, trains are within days.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago
  If trains are already running precise schedules on those tracks, then it's not that revolutionary really?
hylaride 8y ago
It's not a revolution per say, except that since it can often be hard for trains to bypass congestion/stoppages that schedules can go awry easily. In the US, there are huge bottlenecks around Chicago (where a crazy high percentage of all American rail freight passes through) and as much as the railways would love to build new track, various political/environmental issues have been preventing it. As the article states, freight trains used to kind of run "on demand" centered around the customer, which made scheduling efficient train loads hard. Now they're trying to group into a more normal schedule, but this can still be hard as freight loads don't necessarily go point-to-point to their final destination and delays can cascade for switch-overs at hubs. Source: Have been a long-time investor in a major railway and read the investor reports.
- sophacles 8y ago
  The article says: > Now railroads want to run more like commercial airlines, where departure times are set. Factories, farms, mines or mills need to be ready or miss their trips. You're saying: > In the US, there are huge bottlenecks around Chicago (where a crazy high percentage of all American rail freight passes through) To me it sounds like they are already most of the way to the goal :D

Perhaps not, but business practices fall out of style and get rediscovered over time. This practice of leaving with or without your forecasted cargo reminds me of the software “release train” concept.

PaulHoule 8y ago
It sounds like something advanced manufacturers were doing in the late 1970s and that the laggards were talking about in the mid 1990s.

exabrial 8y ago

For cargo yes. Trucks arrival times are predictable within a few hours, trains are within days.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
SideburnsOfDoom 8y ago
If trains are already running precise schedules on those tracks, then it's not that revolutionary really?

hylaride 8y ago

It's not a revolution per say, except that since it can often be hard for trains to bypass congestion/stoppages that schedules can go awry easily. In the US, there are huge bottlenecks around Chicago (where a crazy high percentage of all American rail freight passes through) and as much as the railways would love to build new track, various political/environmental issues have been preventing it. As the article states, freight trains used to kind of run "on demand" centered around the customer, which made scheduling efficient train loads hard. Now they're trying to group into a more normal schedule, but this can still be hard as freight loads don't necessarily go point-to-point to their final destination and delays can cascade for switch-overs at hubs. Source: Have been a long-time investor in a major railway and read the investor reports.

sophacles 8y ago
The article says: > Now railroads want to run more like commercial airlines, where departure times are set. Factories, farms, mines or mills need to be ready or miss their trips. You're saying: > In the US, there are huge bottlenecks around Chicago (where a crazy high percentage of all American rail freight passes through) To me it sounds like they are already most of the way to the goal :D