RAILINC KEY FACTS

• Railinc powers safe, efficient rail with tracking and data services.
• They handle 300M+ daily transactions across North America.
• They provide key data for AAR and MxV Rail research.

Since the late 1990s, Railinc Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the AAR, has been the digital backbone of North America’s freight rail network. Based in Cary, North Carolina, Railinc was established to deliver secure, centralized, and interoperable data systems for the industry.

Railinc is the leading provider of rail data, software, and messaging services.

The team at Railinc supports everything from asset tracking and maintenance planning to interline commerce and real-time operations. Railinc processes more than 300 million transactions daily. These transactions include transportation waybills, advance train consists, blocking requests and responses, and trip plans.

Railinc’s platforms are integral to daily rail activity.

These platforms connect Class I railroads, short lines, equipment owners, and suppliers. Aligned with AAR’s priorities, Railinc ensures the integrity, accuracy, and security of the industry’s digital infrastructure. It advances safety, efficiency, and smarter operations across the freight rail network. Here’s a look at what Railinc does:

What Railinc Does

Tracking Rail Equipment

Railinc operates and maintains the Umler® system, the authoritative source for rail equipment information in North America. Umler contains vital data about freight cars, locomotives, and other rail assets. It serves as a foundational tool for safe and efficient operations. Through its RailSight® suite, Railinc also provides shipment tracking and tracing services that offer visibility into freight movements in near real time.

Managing Equipment Health

Railinc’s Equipment Health Management System (EHMS) plays a key role in identifying potential mechanical issues before they lead to costly delays or safety incidents. Railroads use this data-driven approach for asset health to adopt proactive maintenance practices. This improves both safety and efficiency.

Streamlining Industry Financial Settlement

Railinc also supports the financial complexity of interline shipments, ensuring accurate revenue sharing and transaction processing between carriers. This facilitates collaboration across the network. Railroads use products such as the Interline Settlement System (ISS), Car Hire, and more to make critical industry payments securely and efficiently.

Location Management

Railinc maintains and manages a central repository of Rail Industry GIS (RIGIS) spatial data. This is for use in numerous railroad specific applications. The data is the primary and only source for a consolidated collection of GIS assets. These include railroad tracks, mileposts, subdivisions, interconnect locations, switches, signals, event reporting locations and more. The data is used to optimize usage and tracking of rolling stock, in the development of comprehensive safety and security plans. It is also used for analysis of movement and conditions over multiple carriers, and provides analysis tools for visualization and conflict resolution.

Industry Communication

Beyond its individual platforms, Railinc provides a robust framework for electronic data interchange (EDI) and messaging across the industry. It enables real-time communication between railroads, customers, and third-party systems. This ensures interoperability and information flow in a highly distributed network.

Supporting Research

While Railinc doesn’t conduct field testing or research directly, it does provide the data infrastructure and analytics platforms that inform many research and technology initiatives. These initiatives are especially those under AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) Program. Its real-world datasets and monitoring systems are often used in simulation, performance modeling, and the deployment of new technologies developed by MxV Rail and other industry partners.