Inventing The

The Movement Planner and the Locomotive Engineer Assist Display and Event Recorder (LEADER) software systems help trains more accurately track real-time performance, calibrate operation settings and develop optimal travel plans. The use of the complementary technologies allows more locomotives to run on the same track at faster speeds and with greater efficiency, generating significant fuel savings.
Freight railroads are vital to the U.S. economy, transporting more than 40 percent of the country’s freight, with Movement Planner acting as the railroad equivalent of an air-traffic control system. The software integrates railroad logistics with traffic control systems, considering factors such as train schedules and train movements to develop an optimized traffic plan for the trains. Although the software is still in the early stages of implementation, on territories where Movement Planner has been implemented and fully utilized, Norfolk Southern’s analysis has shown that it increases velocity by 10 percent and greatly improves trains’ schedule adherence.
LEADER is a software application that operates on each locomotive’s computer. The application uses the characteristics of the train (e.g., the distribution of loaded and empty cars) and terrain information to accurately predict train performance. As the train traverses its route, the system continually compares the current locomotive control settings with the calculated optimal settings and coaches the engineer on how to achieve more efficient operation. This onboard software can then provide real-time feedback to the Movement Planner, allowing it to incorporate each train’s capability and performance to produce better plans.
Business Roundtable members are creating technologies that actively contribute to a more efficient, secure and sustainable future for their customers and the public at large.
In Inventing the Future: How Technology Is Reshaping the Energy and Environmental Landscape Business Roundtable highlights just a small sample of technologies that are actively contributing to a more efficient, secure and sustainable future.
Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies working to promote a thriving economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans through sound public policy.