ComputerWeekly: Head of Cognizant’s Manufacturing, Energy and Transportation Practice in the UK Writes About IT as a Key Lever for Efficiencies in the Rail Industry

“The asset-heavy rail industry is facing multiple challenges,” writes Rohit Gupta. “It is being constantly pushed to increase efficiency and punctuality, while reducing operational costs. At the same time, it has to meet the rapidly increasing demand from passengers and freight services, providing them increased safety.”

Gupta notes, “Information Technology is critical for this industry to operate smoothly and seamlessly, but it can also be a key enabler of transformation and innovation. For example, potential maintenance issues can be resolved at an early stage by adopting intelligent asset management techniques that utilize cutting-edge mechanisms to collect and analyze data related to assets such as tracks and bridges.”

The emerging SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud) technologies, Gupta points out, are increasingly playing a key role in shaping the future of rail. “The influence of SMAC technologies in driving efficiencies in rail network will have a significant impact across the UK rail ecosystem—including Network Rail, train and freight operators, Rolling Stock Companies and Rail Delivery Group. Use of handheld devices and smartphone applications in providing real-time cargo visibility will be immensely appealing to the freight transportation industry. Building a greener and smarter ecosystem of consumers, customers, network and train operators using an underlying information network enabled by SMAC technologies will be the essence of future-proofing one of the oldest rail networks in the world,” he writes.

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