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| Brandon Townley / flickr |
Railroads have been a reliable method of transportation in the United States for nearly 200 years. There are more than 140,000 miles of track in the U.S., encompassing freight, short and passenger lines with around 70 percent of all goods traveling by rail at some point. This spider web-like rail line system crisscrosses the landscape, connecting cities, smaller communities, ports and a wide variety of industries.
The network of tracks is growing. Since the 1980s, more than $525 billion in private investment has been committed to maintain, expand and modernize the nation’s rail system, providing economic development opportunities and jobs. In 2013, it’s predicted that more than $20 billion will be injected into the economy through rail activities, all without any tax dollars.
Managing the thousands of miles of rail lines is a massive undertaking. Monitoring land rights, infrastructure assets, due diligence, encroachments, etc., requires a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use technology that blends security and scalability.
If outdated or disconnected technology lacking in function is used, stretches of track can go unchecked with improper due diligence. When information is difficult to access, the result can be delays to needed improvement projects.
One source of headaches for the industry is that right of way for rail lines is primarily recorded on paper, some which has been damaged or is difficult to find. Right of way agreements can date back to the frontier era. Records of property agreements dating back that far may not even exist. Documents generated over the decades are, in most cases, the only record of easements, which can complicate planning for new projects and delay improvements. At the moment there are six major projects being built or planned in the U.S., including signaling updates, new facilities and new rail lines. With funding made available through the federal government, several states are planning development of high-speed rail. These projects face the unique challenges that railroad right of way and infrastructure development bring to the table.
geoAMPS, a software company in the Columbus, OH, area, has developed a technology product called rxrAMPS that is designed to handle the complexities of planning, building and maintaining new and existing rail lines. rxrAMPS assists project planners with tracking and negotiating right of way, landowner information, chain of title, parcel data and other information. The software accesses a web-based central repository of information that provides seamless transition to mobile, detached and GIS applications.
rxrAMPS’ easy, user-based controls allow rail organizations and contractors to gain access to the information they need when and where it is needed, speeding planning, right of way acquisition, construction and ongoing operations to new levels of efficiency.
With rxrAMPS, planning a new track, updating an existing line or checking encroachments are simplified. Everything a rail operation needs to repair, maintain due diligence and other activities is easily managed and operated from the central rxrAMPS database.
Guy Allen, Business Development Manager at geoAMPS, is scheduled to attend the upcoming National Meeting of the American Association of State Highway Officials’ (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT) Sept. 22-25 in Columbus to share information about how the company’s software solutions can improve efficiency and advance rail projects.
If you are attending and would like to meet with Guy and learn more about geoAMPS products, please contact geoAMPS by sending an email to info@geoAMPS.com or use the contact page on our website, www.geoamps.com.
geoAMPS intends to remain a partner of the railroad industry as the industry continues to grow, extending its impact on the U.S. economy and transportation infrastructure.
Nathan Mirolo is Marketing and Communications Specialist at geoAMPS, a technology company in the Columbus, OH, area that specializes in software solutions to manage land rights and infrastructure assets. For more information, call 614-389-4871 orvisit www.geoamps.com.
This article also appears in:
Renewable Energy World
This article also appears in:
Renewable Energy World
