RR-01 RR-01-03-02 — Car Trip Plan Management
This process manages the planning and execution of car trips for a US Class I freight railroad, ensuring efficient movement of railcars while adhering to regulatory requirements and optimizing network utilization.
🗺 BPMN Process Flow
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📋 Process Attributes
| Process ID | RR-01-03-02 |
|---|---|
| Domain Family | NETWORK & PLANNING |
| L1 Domain | Service Design & Network Planning |
| L2 Process Group | Car Trip Plan Management |
| Trigger | Initiated by the Service Design / Network Planning Analyst upon receiving new shipment requests or changes in network conditions. |
| Outcome | Successful completion results in an optimized car trip plan that minimizes terminal dwell times, maximizes train speeds, and ensures all railcars are safely transported to their destinations. |
| Systems | Unified Plan 2020 NetControl CADx I-ETMS EHMS Wabtrax CHARM TRAIN II ISS SSDX |
| Regulatory Hooks | 49 CFR Part 232 GCOR 6.28 49 CFR Part 217 49 CFR Part 220 |
📋 L4 Process Steps
| Step | Name | Role | System | Input | Output | KPI | Pain Point / Risk | Decision? | Exception? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Car Trip Plan Creation | Service Design / Network Planning Analyst | Unified Plan 2020; NetControl | New shipment requests, network conditions data | Initial car trip plan | Car trip plan creation time under 4 hours | Inaccurate network condition data leading to inefficient plans | Y | N |
| 1.2 | Review and Validation | VP Network Planning & Operations | Unified Plan 2020; NetControl | Initial car trip plan | Validated car trip plan | Plan validation time under 8 hours | Complex network conditions requiring multiple iterations | Y | N |
| 1.3 | Dispatching Instructions | Train Dispatcher | NetControl; CADx | Validated car trip plan | Dispatch orders | Order dispatch time under 2 hours | Communication errors leading to misdispatch | N | Y |
| 1.4 | Train Departure | Locomotive Engineer | I-ETMS; NetControl | Dispatch orders | Departure confirmation | Train departure time within 30 minutes of scheduled departure | Track issues delaying train departures | N | Y |
| 1.5 | Terminal Arrival | Yardmaster | NetControl; CADx | Train arrival notification | Arrival confirmation | Terminal dwell time under 24 hours | Inefficient yard operations causing delays | N | Y |
| 1.6 | Car Inspection | Car Inspector (Carman) | EHMS; Wabtrax | Arrival confirmation | Inspection report | Inspection completion time under 2 hours | Defective railcars not identified in time | Y | N |
| 1.7 | Car Hire Accounting | Service Design / Network Planning Analyst | CHARM; TRAIN II | Inspection report | Car hire charges | Accounting time under 4 hours | Incorrect accounting leading to disputes | N | Y |
| 1.8 | Train Rescheduling | Train Dispatcher | NetControl; CADx | Car hire charges | Rescheduled train plan | Rescheduling time under 6 hours | Inflexible network planning causing delays | Y | N |
| 1.9 | Interline Settlement | VP Network Planning & Operations | ISS; SSDX; CHDX | Rescheduled train plan | Settlement agreement | Settlement time under 24 hours | Complex interline agreements causing delays | Y | N |
| 1.10 | Final Train Departure | Locomotive Engineer | I-ETMS; NetControl | Settlement agreement | Departure confirmation | Train departure time within 30 minutes of scheduled departure | Track issues delaying train departures | N | Y |
| 1.11 | Post-Departure Monitoring | Train Dispatcher | I-ETMS; NetControl | Departure confirmation | Monitoring report | Train speed above 20 mph | Slow train speeds causing delays | N | Y |
| 1.12 | Process Review and Optimization | Service Design / Network Planning Analyst | Unified Plan 2020; NetControl | Monitoring report | Optimized car trip plan | Review time under 8 hours | Lack of data insights for optimization | Y | N |
📊 KPIs & Risk Register
KPIs
Car trip plan creation time under 4 hours Plan validation time under 8 hours Order dispatch time under 2 hours Train departure time within 30 minutes of scheduled departure Terminal dwell time under 24 hours Inspection completion time under 2 hours Accounting time under 4 hours Rescheduling time under 6 hours Settlement time under 24 hours Train speed above 20 mph Review time under 8 hours
Key Risks
Air brake test defect released to the road Track issues delaying train departures Inefficient yard operations causing delays Defective railcars not identified in time Incorrect accounting leading to disputes Inflexible network planning causing delays Complex interline agreements causing delays Slow train speeds causing delays Lack of data insights for optimization
Swim Lanes
Service Design / Network Planning Analyst · 1.1, 1.2, 1.7, 1.9, 1.12 VP Network Planning & Operations · 1.2, 1.9 Train Dispatcher · 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.8, 1.10, 1.11 Locomotive Engineer · 1.4, 1.10 Yardmaster · 1.5 Car Inspector (Carman) · 1.6