Center for Railway Research and Education

Ranging from the wide dispersion of assets and organizational functions; over the variability of the asset condition and changing requirements of customers, regulators and other stakeholders; via the diversity of asset types and service lifetime; to the interdependence between components to provide the transportation service, the railway as a system is complex.

Often all of these aspects fall within the responsibility, authority and control of a single organization. It is critical for railway professionals to know and understand the capabilities and impacts of the various sub-systems and the interfaces between these to manage a successful railway.

Shippers, customers, regulators and consultants also need to understand the complexity and interactions in order to integrate their expertise for efficient and effective engagement with railway firms and their people.

Railways provide a means for the spatial integration of the supply chain and, in certain circumstances, also provide temporal integration. The strength of railways is the transportation of large quantities, either heavy goods or large volumes of cargo or both, due to its physical system characteristics.

There is no other mode of land transportation with lower land use and energy requirements than rail, making it one of the most environmentally sustainable transportation modes. However, the system’s nature results in lower flexibility compared to other modes. Understanding what rail can contribute to your supply chain objectives to create competitive advantage is an essential part of our activities.

The primary function of the railway is the transportation of goods, passengers or both from one location to another to enable economic activity.

To achieve this, several physical, organizational and virtual systems have to be in place: for example, the tracks, traction and rolling stock, train control, and business and customer service departments. Railways are asset-rich organizations owning vehicles, extensive infrastructure and handling facilities (depots, stations, warehouses and terminals).

It is essential for managers in the railway industry to know about interactions between the different sub-systems, the underlying essential physics and engineering of the asset-based railway to make informed decisions. We focus on the whole system performance and the trade-offs that decision makers have to make to provide the desired service levels and meet stakeholder requirements while ensuring business sustainability.

Marketing, financial and management accounting, risk and safety, ergonomics, knowledge of engineering and supply chain integration are critical for railway managers. Our focus is on the interaction and integration of these functions, covering the breadth of the organization, rather than a single very deep understanding of a function or discipline.

The large MSU community encompasses 17 degree-granting colleges covering a wide variety of disciplines. Many of their research activities and educational programs are highly relevant to railways, such as Engineering & Computer Science, Urban Planning, Criminal Justice (security and risk management), and Packaging, to name a few.

We explore opportunities to collaborate and work with these subject experts for the benefit of the rail industry.