Full Steam Ahead For The Rail Industry

Published 21 May '20

While Australia and the world are still coming to terms with the impact of COVID-19, there are a small number of positives to come from the isolation of billions of people.

Many have seen the incredibly positive impact that isolation has had on our climate and the environment in general. We are now seeing what it means to have clean air, clean water and a clean environment.

While it is great to see this, what we could also see is a long-term shift in attitudes around climate change and travel. Aviation growth is estimated to significantly curb over the next decade as a result of the pandemic. Since a large amount of air travel has stopped completely, we are witnessing a direct positive impact this is having on our climate, which could ultimately lead to shift in the way we travel and transport people and freight in the future.

This shift is a negative for the aviation industry, however, is it set to be the a positive for rail industries around the world. Many international and even interstate restrictions mean that freight trains are playing an incredibly crucial role in Australia’s response to the pandemic. The outbreak sparked an unprecedented challenge for our countries freight and transport industry with the nations demand for critical supplies prompting a surge in rail freight. This surge has truly heightened the importance of our rail industry across the nation.

It has never been so important to move essential medical supplies to regional towns and cities across the country, which is why the government has deemed the industry an essential service.

This may put a lot of responsibility and possibly strain on the industry during these difficult times, but the rail industry has risen to the challenge in order to keep the supply chain intact and the economy moving.

The growing reliance on the rail industry to our supply chain, caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, could trigger a heavier reliance on the industry in the future, even after aviation regulations return to normal.

Research released recently by Swiss financial giant UBS suggests that the forecasted global air travel for the decade could shrink up to 10 percent, compared to expectation prior to the outbreak, due in large part to a global acceleration in the shift from planes to high-speed rail.

This shift in mindset for many nations, including Australia, could lead to plans to improve our rail industry and supply chain to include more freight trains and ensure that our freight movements are more environmentally friendly.

The possibility of heightening the importance of our rail industry permanently, means that we also must be aware on how to transport freight and people in both a safe and timely manner.

Weighing is synonymous with the rail industry regardless of which country you travel through. We must ensure that freight trains are not carrying a load under the weight needed, because this in inefficient. However, we must also ensure that trains are not overloaded, which could potentially cause a range of issues with both the rail systems, and the train itself.

It is essential that you only rely on only highly accurate weighing and balancing systems. Trakblaze have one of the largest ranges of rail weighing and balancing products, that are of incredibly high quality, reliable and highly accurate; something that is extremely essential with our newfound reliance on the rail industry.

A heightened level of accuracy and reliability though out the industry, is exactly what is needed to ensure that the crucial role trains now play in our supply chain, is carried out with the utmost safety and consistency. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a shift to increase the importance of Australia’s rail systems.

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