About RailRunner: Products

RailRunner is a new, bi-modal (road and rail) technology that uses specially designed chassis and rail bogies for transporting domestic and international shipping containers in intermodal networks. RailRunner sells the bogies and chassis. The standardized containers handled by the RailRunner system can be interchanged among all modes of transport: road, rail, ship and air.

With RailRunner's "Terminal Anywhere" technology, there is no need for capital-intensive terminals with cranes to connect its road equipment - loaded with a container - to a consist ready to roll on the rails. The rail bogie has a unique bayonet-type tongue that matches a special receiver box at either end of the chassis, allowing the transition from road to rail in a matter of minutes. All that's required for a terminal operation is a simple level grade siding for the tractor to ramp-up the chassis and bogies to form RailRunner consists or trains. The unique articulated rail bogie with air-ride suspension offers superior ride quality and stability not seen in regular commercial rail freight transport.

While bi-modal systems have been around since more than 30 years, no major advancements had been made to this mode of transport until RailRunner introduced its new products and logistic development some five years ago. The RailRunner system offers significantly better economics through lower road vehicle weights (light-train concept and better tare-weight-to-payload ratios), simpler operations (faster assembly and disassembly of trains), improved technical rail performance (steering axles and air ride suspension that result in less wear on track), lower operational cost (fuel saving and reduced environmental impact through reductions in noise and emissions), reduced maintenance costs, and significantly lower logistic and system costs (less investment in terminal infrastructure and equipment). It opens new business opportunities to bring a much wider range of shippers into the mainstream of intermodal transport.

The RailRunner system also is environmentally friendly in several important ways. The basic RailRunner concept enables the shifting of road transport to more energy-efficient rail transport. Emissions and fuel consumption are reduced due to a better payload-to-tare weight ratio than other transport modes. The noise level in train operations also is reduced due to the light-train concept and the RailRunner steering axles. Finally, the system reduces the space required for intermodal terminals and it can help increase the life cycle utilization of equipment by requiring less road transport.