Case Study: GE Transportation Systems achieves increased rail capacity and up to 30× faster planning with Actian's Versant Object Database

GE Transportation Systems - Customer Case Study

GE Transportation Systems, working with Norfolk Southern, faced a capacity challenge as U.S. freight traffic was expected to double by 2020 while existing rail infrastructure could not be expanded. To meet rising demand without adding track, GE needed a way to increase network capacity, velocity and efficiency through better real-time scheduling and routing.

GE deployed its RailEdge Movement Planner using the Versant Object Database, which handles complex, many-to-many object models far faster than relational systems (about 3× for moderate complexity and over 30× for highly complex objects). RailEdge continuously simulates the network—evaluating hundreds of transactions per train and producing new routing solutions every five minutes—automating dispatching to improve fuel efficiency and increase average train speeds by 2–4 mph (a one-mph gain equates to roughly $200M in annual savings), prompting Norfolk Southern to expand the system across its network.

GE Transportation Systems

Kevin Campbell

Vice President Sales