In the aftermath of news headlines announcing locomotive derailments from coast-to-coast in the US and the country’s the first-ever “mass transit” Super Bowl, railroads, transits, consultants and suppliers gathered in Orlando, Florida this week for the 4th Annual PTC World Congress. Recently, I met with Sam El-Nazer, senior consultant and rail subject matter expert at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, about his take on the key factors driving the industry today. In El-Nazer’s view, there are six things.
- Regulatory requirements. Railroads continue to place a lot of emphasis on identifying and solving for events that could put their passengers and operators in harm’s way.
- Technology. The Internet of Things is not only paving the way for cloud and big data, but also actionable intelligence.
- Operating Costs: Rising fuel and labor costs are creating the need for greater efficiencies in asset tracking and fuel utilization.
- New Business Models: Continued proliferation of social media channels, mobility and the consumerization of IT is leading several industries including rail to consider new business models.
- Urbanization: Estimates predicting that 70 percent of the world’s population will go urban in the next 20 to 25 years could mean more resource constraints and increased energy consumption particularly for passenger lines.
- Aging Workforce: Due to the disproportionate number of older workers in the rail industry, one common assertion is that the big data can predominantly be found in its employee base.
“Overall, we are seeing that these macro drivers are resulting in increased dialogue and focus to creating meaningful solutions around three areas – maximizing efficiency and gaining end-to-end insight, driving customer experience and enhancing safety and security,” said El-Nazer.
El-Nazer is among the presenters at this year’s PTC World Congress. To learn more about his insights as featured in Smart Rail World, click here.
To learn more about Verizon’s work in the transportation industry, click here.
