Strategic Consulting Services
Union Pacific
With the merger of the Southern Pacific (SP) and Union Pacific (UP) railroads in 1996 came the need to combine their locomotive management systems. Both railroads used systems developed by ALK Technologies, Inc. and although the systems were different, they were complementary in their approaches to locomotive management.
The original UP system, LMS1, was developed in the late 1980s. The system examines demands for locomotives over the coming five days and automatically recommends assignments available locomotives to trains. It also handles routing of locomotives to facilities for required FRA maintenance. For its role in improving railroad productivity, LMS1 was awarded the 1993 Progressive Railroading Productivity Award for Management Techniques and Practices.
The SP system, LMS2, used graphical workstations to display the locations of all trains, locomotives and end-of-train devices. The command and control system at SP provided power managers with a system for real time tracking of equipment, decision support feedback as to the appropriateness of locomotive assignments, and the ability to quickly transfer decisions to widely distributed field personnel.
By combining the two, ALK Technologies created a powerful new system giving locomotive fleet managers maximum control and accuracy. Designated LMS3, the system helps the railroad improve service reliability and achieve significant improvements in motive power utilization. Displays give detailed, single screen views of the actual operating situations in each yard including motive power reserved for each train, the operating condition and approaching FRA inspection dates, and a recommended plan for the next 48 hours of operation. Information is automatically updated as field events occur.
During its first six months using LMS3, UP increased its locomotive utilization by 3.3%, worth $25 million per year.
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