Embracing the Future

360 Rail Services Brings New Solutions to Railroad Industry
Written by William Young

360 Rail Services specializes in design/build projects for the railroad industry, operating as a full-service contractor out of Denver, Colorado. The company involves itself in every aspect of railroad service, including design and engineering, construction, maintenance, inspection and repairs, as well as operations like trans-loading and switching.
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The company has existed in its current form for only two years but carries a nearly twenty-year history thanks to the acquisition of Railroad Specialties Inc. in April 2017, and has garnered an impressive reputation within its sector.

360 Rail Services’ ability to handle problems is usually the first thing that impresses clients. In regard to a client’s project, 360 Rail Services makes it happen on time and on budget. The team make themselves very available to customers, which is very attractive and memorable.

Since its previous spotlight in the May 2018 edition of Construction in Focus magazine, the company has seen increased workload capacity in essentially every aspect. 360 is working on large amounts of projects across Canada and the United States, as well as adding a great deal of design/build work to its portfolio for a variety of facilities, both new and existing. New facilities range in size from moderate to very large and are scattered across North America.

The company’s suppliers play a major role in the company’s continued success. In this industry, companies are usually dealing with many large projects from customers that often need a certain project done swiftly. Thankfully, with a trusted network of suppliers at the company’s disposal, it can obtain materials that live up to its standards, in a way that is both affordable and timely.

Within the rail sector, 360 Rail Services strives to stay on the cutting edge of new technology, a great deal of which involves the growing area of drone technology. The company has recently entered a partnership with Ardenna – an automation solutions provider for the rail industry – to develop drone-based track inspection software that will be available as one of its premier services.

A licensed and certified pilot will fly a drone over the center line of track at a customer’s facility, then take photos which are fed into a piece of software called RailVision, which provides a comprehensive report on the condition of a customer’s tracks without needing people to be physically there. This will improve safety in the workplace and operational speed.

Technology, however, is only one piece of the puzzle. The company keeps the customer as its top priority. On any given project, 360 will start by gaining a complete understanding of a customer’s needs both immediate as well as long-term – a tactic that not many other companies in the industry have adopted. It then uses that knowledge to create a plan for whatever service may be needed by the client.

The company defines its identity as a one-stop shop, in that it can provide a single point of contact or a few dedicated people so that communication is kept both simple and effective for all parties. This approach to simplicity in communication combined with the complete understanding of a client’s needs is a great advantage for both the customer and for 360 itself and is a big reason why clients frequently cite the company’s approach to the design-build method as attractive.

360 also takes pride in its outstanding relationships with the organizations and partnerships that make its work possible. The team works with Class 1 railroads like Union Pacific Railroad or BNSF Railway Company daily, ensuring that a customer’s desired facilities can be feasibly and sufficiently served by the railroad.

The company’s long history with the Colorado Department of Transportation has also served as a positive alliance on many successful projects. 360’s history is of great advantage in these partnerships, as it has nearly twenty years under its belt despite its newer name, and several employees have also worked with these partner organizations previously.

However, 360’s design department is thankfully composed of people with creative problem-solving techniques who have designed facilities able to accomplish a great deal with limited resources. When it comes to practically any problem, the company can always depend on its extremely experienced staff of very bright people for creative solutions and unmatched experience in turning problems into advantages.

Every year brings a multitude of unique projects, and 2019 is already proving to be as busy a year for 360 Rail Services as ever, but in looking farther into the future, the company will keep doing what it is doing. It will be keeping an eye toward completing its large-size projects throughout the United States in a variety of industries, reducing costs, and improving work output.

360 Rail Services will continue to expand its drone program, including its endeavors into drone-based track inspection, surveying, and aerial imaging – there is simply nothing else like it right now that can provide that level of detail while keeping people off the track. 360 Rail Services has made great strides in its field through adhering to a customer-first approach and adopting innovative technical procedures, and it is poised to remain a force in railroad development for some time to come.

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