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October 2023
Compiled by Michael Popke
CrewPro Short Line™ is PS Technology Inc.’s (PST) web-based solution for crew management and hours-of-service (HOS) tracking, as well as train, engine and yard employee scheduling and dispatching. CrewPro Short Line is designed to prevent human error: Automation functions crosscheck HOS regulations and union agreements. Additionally, CrewPro provides a means to schedule non-trainmen employees, such as maintenance-of-way and shop workers.
Designed for Class II railroads, CrewPro also includes options for vacation scheduling, broadcast messaging to employees, and integration into qualification and training tools, such as locomotive simulators — further automating back-office work, company officials said in an email.
All CrewPro actions and processes are tracked and searchable to further streamline business needs from either federal, local or company assessment requirements. Because railroad employees can check their boards and schedules, respond to crew calls and perform vacation bidding from their company-issued or personal mobile devices, CrewPro improves their quality of life, PST officials said.
CrewPro’s functionality also can be integrated into qualification, drug and alcohol, and training/learning management systems to provide further efficiencies between departments.
MaxAccel’s SafeTrack Crew™ management application now offers new features and functionality.
SafeTrack Crew manages job scheduling and crew assignments, including vacancy management. The web-based system also provides common crew management functionality such as employee certification status, transactional history, employee communications, hours-of-service compliance, job/territory qualification, and payroll with claims and arbitraries.
New functionality includes improved extra board management, as well as temporary and relief job assignments.
Additionally, with the SafeTrack Crew Mobile™ smartphone app, real-time job and extra board status informs employees of their upcoming work assignments along with supplemental information.
For the railroad industry, SafeTrack Crew represents “the next generation crew management solution,” company officials said. More than 200 freight railroads, passenger operations and railroad contractors use MaxAccel’s suite of AssetPro™ and SafeTrack™ applications, according to the company.
GIRO aims to help passenger-rail operators worldwide improve efficiency, notably through its HASTUS software. HASTUS is a flexible and modular solution that integrates planning, scheduling and operations management for all modes of public transportation.
Railroads are focusing on three crew management areas: compliance with regulations, staff empowerment and efficiency in planning and assigning work, company officials said.
HASTUS’ AI/optimization and decision support capabilities enable railroads to optimize the fundamentals of rail planning and operations, including timetables, rolling stock and personnel.
Clients can improve schedules and rostering for both onboard and station staff; quickly plan cost-efficient work shifts that comply with union rules, staff qualifications and fatigue regulations; and reoptimize shifts to adapt to timetable changes, company officials said. Meanwhile, the software’s web bidding feature enables employees to submit preferences for assigned shifts and duties, and request shift swaps and vacation exchanges from a cell phone.
More than 100 rail operators in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific use HASTUS to adapt to rapid changes, manage rolling stock and workforce, and improve service quality, company officials said.
In the United States, HASTUS is deployed at various passenger-rail systems, including Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Chicago Transit Authority. After adopting HASTUS, BART cut its time to build crewing solutions, pay-to-platform ratio and start-time variation while enhancing operators’ quality of life, GIRO officials said.
The trackHOS software is designed for managing complex staffing issues and ensuring compliance with Federal Railroad Administration hours-of-service regulations, Railroad Software officials said. It also features current work-hour tracking for field teams, enhancing accuracy and compliance with mandatory rest periods.
Key features include easy online time entry, a timeline for employee hours, shift confirmation and comprehensive dashboards for administrators and employees — all with a built-in FRA compliance engine. The dashboard offers a clear view of work hours, remaining duty time and crucial data to aid in optimizing schedules, resource management and FRA compliance, company officials said. Also, trackHOS allows informed crew assignment decisions based on employee availability and rest periods.
Meanwhile, trackWorker is an app for managing employee certifications and qualifications, including tracking upcoming certification expirations to ensure job safety and efficiency. Key features include efficient management of employee certifications and qualifications, proactive tracking of certification expirations, and assurance of employee competence for safe and efficient job performance.
Both trackHOS and trackWorker are cloud-based, allowing access from anywhere with an internet connection. They are designed to serve railroads of all sizes, company officials said.
Trapeze Workforce Management (WM) is designed to optimize service delivery, enhance employee performance and empower dispatchers, administrators and crew, Trapeze Group officials said. WM helps recruit and retain a robust workforce with technology to easily manage in-office and remote work tasks.
WM helps alleviate staff shortages by identifying absences and open work to quickly adjust and protect service, company officials said. The automated operator Sign-In Terminal improves timekeeping accuracy, absenteeism trends can be monitored, and employee performance can be managed.
The software also enhances productivity and ensures compliance with hours of service and collective bargaining agreements. Employee Self-Service allows employees to quickly view work assigned; receive updates, messages and documents; view timesheets; request absences, bid work and vacation; and post overtime availability. Easy-to-use tools that can be accessed at work, home or anywhere online foster employee engagement, company officials said.
Additionally, WM provides railroads the tools to optimize and automate complex bidding processes that align with collective bargaining agreements, open work assignment management, dispatching and timekeeping, they said.
Michael Popke is a Madison, Wisconsin-based freelance writer. Email comments or questions to prograil@tradepress.com.
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