RailPros
OVERVIEW
RailPros is a leading engineering and diversified safety services company that specializes in serving the rail and transit industry in the United States. With a mission to improve mobility, ensure safety, and enhance the quality of life for residents, passengers, companies, and leadership agencies, RailPros provides a wide range of services and experiences to railroad and rail transit companies across North America. The company is committed to working as a team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning, and addressing the unique challenges faced by its customers on a daily basis. RailPros strives to earn the trust of its customers and help them succeed by staying updated with industry developments, embracing new technologies, and adapting to meet their needs promptly. The company's business model emphasizes availability, allowing them to mobilize and respond quickly wherever and whenever they are needed. RailPros is dedicated to creating economic opportunities, supporting sustainable initiatives, fostering diverse and inclusive work environments, and minimizing harmful impacts on the environment. As a trusted partner in the rail and transit industries, RailPros is well-positioned to address the complex challenges of climate change in their operations. With offices conveniently located throughout the United States, RailPros ensures prompt and reliable service to its clients.
SERVICES
Engineering
RailPros is a trusted industry leader in railway engineering, offering a wide range of responsive and high-quality services. With a commitment to excellence and attentiveness, RailPros provides railway engineering expertise for projects related to railroad track, railroad site infrastructure, rail layout, and railroad development. Since its establishment in 2000, RailPros has maintained its focus on customer satisfaction and delivering exceptional results. The company's railway engineering professionals are highly skilled and actively involved in rail industry professional organizations, ensuring their knowledge and understanding of the field are always up to date. They actively contribute to the development of railway engineering standards and best practices, staying at the forefront of the industry. RailPros' engineering team combines talent, innovation, and knowledge to meet the needs of their clients consistently. Whether it's small or large-scale rail projects, RailPros provides best-in-class engineering services that reflect both the capabilities of a big firm and the attentiveness of a small firm.
Field Services
RailPros offers field services that prioritize safety, compliance, and reliability. Recognizing the unique responsibilities associated with performing services under live operating conditions, RailPros ensures the trust of its clients by keeping safety as the top priority and minimizing interruptions to operations. Each day, RailPros deploys a team of rail professionals to job sites across the nation, providing a range of field services including track inspections, flagging services, construction management and observation, railroad coordination, utility permitting, and real estate and development services. Many of RailPros' staff members are experienced former railroad employees who bring deep industry knowledge, training, and certifications to their roles. This expertise allows them to efficiently and safely manage projects for railroads, public agencies, cities, and private entities. RailPros adheres to the safety values and standard practices of the rail industry, ensuring that each job is completed in accordance with regulations, industry standards, best practices, budget, and schedules. The company's ability to quickly mobilize and provide qualified staff on short notice saves clients time, money, and staff resources. RailPros is a trusted provider of field services to all seven Class 1 Railroads, as well as numerous public agencies and private entities throughout the United States.
RWIC/Railroad Flagging
RailPros provides Roadway Workers In Charge (RWIC) services, commonly known as flagging services, with a team of highly qualified and experienced professionals who are ready to handle any type of railroad project. With decades of firsthand experience in the railroad industry, RailPros' RWICs are equipped to support both large and small, short-term and long-term projects. They have successfully provided flagging services for various capital and maintenance-of-way projects, including double track and siding construction, track rehabilitation, yard reconstruction, quiet zone construction, utility installations, and surveys.
Safety is a top priority for RailPros, and as an employer, they prioritize railroad safety. Their RWIC staff is eRailSafe qualified and On-Track Safety qualified, enabling them to rapidly mobilize to new locations and provide consistently safe and reliable rail flagging services. RailPros utilizes GPS-enabled devices to continuously monitor the locations and movements of their field staff, ensuring accurate reporting, and billing for clients. The company regularly tests and audits its staff for railroad safety compliance and conducts safety calls, onsite meetings, and inspections to deliver the best possible service.
RailPros has developed an Administrative Information and Logistics System (RAILS) that generates job numbers for customer projects and stores documents online for easy access. The system also provides billing information for invoicing and other accounting functions. RAILS allows RailPros to generate reports for all flagging jobs, including Daily Work Reports (DWR), schedules, field audits, and billing. The RAILS customer portal enables clients to set up accounts, fill out information online, and track the steps and schedule of each future project.
To enhance flagging safety, RailPros employs a proprietary app called "On-Track Supplemental Safety (OTSS)." This app helps prevent safety incidents by addressing concerns such as misplaced flags, flags being left on the right of way, misplaced switch locks, and derails. Additionally, OTSS allows lone workers to report on and off duty. The app digitizes the job briefing process, eliminating the need for a pass-around sign-in sheet. Workers can scan a QR code generated by the RWIC, which takes them to a secure, military-encrypted site where they enter their name and acknowledge the briefing. Each worker receives a digital copy of the briefing that can be referenced throughout the day, and updates to the briefing are communicated to the group and acknowledged as necessary.
RailPros' RWIC/flagging services are utilized by numerous companies and agencies across the United States and Canada, including short lines, Class 1 railroads, and commuter agencies. With a focus on safety, efficiency, and utilizing advanced technology, RailPros ensures the smooth and secure execution of flagging services for railroad projects.
Training
RailPros offers comprehensive railroad training programs that cover a wide range of topics in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). With a systematic and well-defined development process, RailPros builds training programs that implement best-of-industry practices and provide a solid framework for effective training. The development process includes proper structure, communication, regular feedback opportunities, and clear timelines to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders.
RailPros offers training in various formats to cater to client needs. They provide hands-on, in-classroom training, online or virtual training, facilitator-led or self-directed study options, ensuring flexibility to accommodate different requirements and budgets. Supplementary materials, including required handbooks, are also available for purchase through their website, making it convenient to access the necessary resources for training related to railroad properties.
The training programs are delivered by RailPros' senior training staff, who possess extensive technical knowledge and practical rail experience in the subjects they teach. Many of the instructors have over 20 years of industry experience and have previously worked at prominent railroad companies such as BNSF Railway, Union Pacific (UP), Amtrak, and CSX. Their instructors are actively involved in rail industry professional organizations such as APTA, AREMA, ASLRRA, and NRC. They are responsible for developing the industry's engineering standards and best practices, ensuring that the training is delivered from the perspective of professional railroaders with real-world experience.
RailPros' training programs are trusted by more than 3,700 railroad entities, transit systems, short lines, regional railroads, industrial plant railroads, railroad contractors, suppliers, and consultants. Clients rely on RailPros year after year to deliver relevant and effective training support resources. The company's commitment to safety, compliance, and technical training ensures that clients achieve safety through impactful training and maintain regulatory compliance in the railroad industry.
Media Production
RailPros offers expert media production services to help companies effectively connect with their audience through better media. They specialize in delivering critical and often complex information in new, engaging, and easy-to-understand ways. RailPros understands the importance of connecting and communicating effectively with the target audience, and their media production services are designed to facilitate meaningful engagement and drive change.
With a team of experienced railroad professionals, RailPros is uniquely positioned to understand the specific needs and challenges of the railroad industry. They provide high-quality safety, compliance, and technical training, as well as targeted services and products to a wide range of clients in the railroad industry. Their client base includes over 400 railroad entities, transit systems, short lines, regional railroads, railroad contractors, suppliers, and consultants. Year after year, these clients trust RailPros to deliver relevant and effective training support resources that meet their needs.
The RailPros staff brings extensive experience in planning, development, implementation, and management from various departments and positions within railroads or regulatory agencies. This firsthand knowledge enables them to provide valuable insights and expertise in media production, ensuring that the content is tailored to the unique requirements of the railroad industry. RailPros' media production services are designed to help companies effectively communicate their critical messages, engage their audience, and drive meaningful change.
Technology
RailPros offers technology solutions designed to enhance various aspects of the railroad industry. Their tech capabilities enable improvement in track training, streamlining safety briefings, and more. They provide innovative online and app-based solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of companies in the railroad industry.
One of RailPros' technology services is the Track Physical Characteristics (PC) Training Application. This web-based training tool combines head-end videos of a railroad's territory with linear track charts. The videos stop at each PC (Physical Characteristics), displaying milepost information and explanations while marking the location on the linear track chart. The application also includes detailed diagrams of stations, yards, and interlockings, including switch numbers and signal numbers. This video-based training tool significantly improves PC training for employees and contractors, allowing them to learn PCs in a shorter time and better retain the information. The application enhances familiarization rides by providing 24/7 access to review PCs in a virtual format, leading to better-qualified workers, a safer work environment, and reduced training costs.
RailPros also offers the Rule of the Day App, a customizable and user-friendly application that delivers the Safety Rule of the Day for any railroad. Each daily rule is accompanied by a photo to aid worker's memory retention. The app can store multiple sets of daily safety rules for different departments. The Rule of the Day App simplifies the process of accessing safety rules by eliminating the need to search through operating and safety rule books. With just a few taps, railroaders can quickly access the safety rule of the day and its corresponding picture, facilitating smoother safety briefings and ensuring compliance.
RailPros' technology services aim to leverage digital solutions to enhance training experiences, improve safety practices, and optimize operational efficiency in the railroad industry. Through their technology offerings, RailPros helps companies in the railroad industry embrace technological advancements and improve their overall performance.