We’ve digitalised the way we calculate freight journeys – so we can help our freight partners move more goods by train.
Moving goods by rail contributes billions to the UK economy every year while keeping supermarkets stocked, builders building and medicine moving. Digitising how we calculate freight journeys helps us to grow the freight industry even further.
What are Freight Loads Books?
Freight Loads Books are records that give essential information on weight and length limits for freight journeys across our railway.
We use this information to keep the railway safe. We and freight companies use Freight Loads Books to calculate entire freight journeys – ensuring freight trains carry cargo around our railway safely. They help prevent damage and safety, operational and performance incidents.
Until recently, we used paper and simple spreadsheets to record freight loads. This meant calculating freight journeys could take about 30 minutes.
But Digital Freight Loads Books – created with software developer Lampada Digital Solutions – have made this process more efficient. This will also save us about £99,000 a year.
Moving them online has also improved the quality of the data we use, lowering the risk of incidents.
Digital Freight Loads Books have made it easier for us to work together with freight operators to plan freight trains across our railway.
We even have the potential to run longer and higher volume freight trains on our railway in the future.
What do the experts say?
Adam Kaczynski, a capability and planning manager at Network Rail, said: “The entire rail freight supply chain – from Network Rail to industrial customers – can benefit from the Digital Freight Loads Books by saving precious hours, easily finding new traffic opportunities and keeping both trains and goods safe.
“The new system has also created a robust and flexible platform on which we can digitise other types of freight data in years to come.”
Digital Freight Loads Books will help our freight partners run longer and higher volume freight services – meaning a greener transport industry. All while reducing incidents and delays to your journeys.
