Optiswitch
Real time yard management.
Optiswitch is the only platform available that can fully digitize and optimize yard planning operations. No more cutting lists.
FULLY AUTOMATED YARD PLANNING
Automated yard operations
Today yard managers spent significant effort to manage traffic. Day to day, this means going car by car through paper switchlists. With Optiswitch, yard managers focus on managing. The lists cut themselves.
the solution
AI-powered planning process
Optiswitch has an AI core that knows how to switch cars, seeing many hours into the future to eliminate touches when possible. Honed from feedback from conductors and yardmasters, Optiswitch has been taught to think like a veteran. Yard managers "set it and forget it" and let the lists cut themselves.
Integrations
Seamless integration
Optiswitch seamlessly integrates with a railroad's existing inventory management system or handheld crew device. Additionally, it can be paired with Cedar's Automated Rail Management System (ARMS) to further automate inventory and rail-yard management.
increased Performance
For daily, operational use, Optiswitch outperforms current, manual procedures by 20-40%, with ample room for further improvement.
Benefits
Generate cutlists
Generate cutlists with simple, step-by-step instructions for classifying a yard.
Increase sophistication
Increase the sophistication of a switching plan at no incremental labor cost—build multiple trains at once, or leave the yard in a better state for future work as you build your highest-priority trains.
Increase the reliability
Increase the reliability of yard performance with plans that factor in the time associated with each move, the current state of the yard's inventory, and the specific crew staffed on a particular shift.
Evaluate and connect
Evaluate capex and opex investments—including grade adjustments, track extensions or additions, locomotive purchases, etc. Load-balance work across the network when enabled across multiple, connected yards
Features
01
Objective and train management
Objectives and trains can be pre-configured and scheduled, but can also be easily created on the fly with intuitive UI before or during a shift.
02
Block management
Integrates well with existing block systems. Uncovers blind spots in local/industry block management
03
Block-to-track assignment
Our algorithm provides optimal block-to-track assignment dynamically based on each yard's situation but still allows yardmasters to easily overwrite them as they see fit
04
Switch list & cut list generation
Yard managers focus on managing. The lists cut themselves.
05
Switching effort predictions
Produces a live stream of metrics to provide insights of how much work is being done and how much future work is coming to the yard.
06
Switching constraint customization
Lead length constraints, locomotive friction curve, distance-to-couple, and other constraints are all considered to produce the most optimal switch plan.
07
“What-if” simulations
Yards can be forked and run simulations, from switching details to infrastructure planning.
08
Flexible configuration
No assumption is made on how a yard is operated; All knobs and levers are provided to operate a yard differently than another
09
Safety Rule Compliance
Our algorithms comply with position-in-train rules from FRA, AAR, and Class Is, such as hazard buffers and rear-riders.
Schedule a demo
If you are a railroad operator looking for new technology options, we want to talk to you. Please reach out today to get a demo and see how we can help.
