Hupac digitises rail transport

TRAIN SPOTTING

DIGITISATION • HUPAC IS MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN BRINGING VISIBILITY TO RAIL OPERATIONS, WITH A NEW SYSTEM TO HELP ITS CUSTOMERS

AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS of successful testing, Hupac has made its Train Radar tracking system available for use by its customers. The tool is accessible via Hupac’s WOLF platform, giving full supply chain visibility to all parties involved in the movement of goods by train. This move, part of Hupac’s broader digital strategy, responds to strong demands from the market, not least at a time of frequent irregularities on the European rail network.

The Hupac Train Radar covers all trains running in the network of Hupac Intermodal. It offers fast and reliable information regarding the main questions of intermodal transport management, such as the current location of a particular train and an estimated time of arrival.

The Train Radar provides real-time train running information, based on data supplied to Hupac by its rail operating partners or, where this is not the case, by onboard GPS units that send messages to the system every three minutes.

Even more relevant for customers is the information regarding the estimated time of unit pick-up (ETP) at the delivery terminals. Since 2 January 2020, this service has been active for the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate terminal and implementation in other terminals will be rolled out in the coming months.

MULTI-FUNCTION TOOL The Train Radar tool is accessible via the internet on smartphones or tablets. It offers different smartphone-optimised apps to cover all the information needs of Hupac’s customers, such as: - Train monitor – real-time train running information and estimated time of pick-up of units - Train app – real-time current position of running trains and delay information - Unit app – real-time check of unit status and location - Traffic events – latest traffic events on

the rail infrastructure where Hupac trains are involved - CESAR – connection to the European track & trace platform.

Train Radar builds on work already put in place for internal purposes, such as the Terminal Hupac Operating System (THOS) terminal process management system first implemented at the Chiasso terminal in Switzerland at the end of 2018. This is designed to support employees in the various phases of terminal operations, from unit delivery through train preparation to the printing of the waybill and the departure of the train.

The same year Hupac introduced optical character recognition (OCR) portals, initially at Busto-Arsizio-Gallarate and Antwerp, to provide automated train inspection, identification and inventory. A second phase of development enabled the automatic detection and reading of dangerous goods labels.

Hupac says it is fully committed to supporting supply chain transparency. “We actively participate in initiatives such as the ELETA project sponsored by the European Commission as well as other sector initiatives,” it notes. The Hupac Train Radar is accessible via the WOLF platform at wolf.hupac.ch. Customers that are not yet registered can find more information on the Hupac website, www.hupac.ch.