Rail Industry Consulting and Trends

Transportation and Logistics

We help rail operators redefine their role as a low-carbon solution so they can win new business from environmentally conscious travelers, shippers, and governments.

Our rail experts also help our clients harness digitization so rail operators can improve on-time performance and create a better connection with passengers and shippers. And we help clients use advanced analytics to uncover new opportunities in different parts of the transportation value chain.

Delivering Digital Transformation to the Rail Industry

Our rail operations consulting team partners with urban transportation, passenger rail, rail freight, rail infrastructure, rail maintenance, and rail technology companies.

Our advice offers deep expertise to many of the world’s biggest rail operators—and broad experience in digital transformation across industries.

Mobility Platforms and New Solutions

Online platforms and apps are shaking up markets by offering end-to-end transparency across different types of transportation and logistics services. As a leading railroad consulting firm, we prepare rail operators to seize the opportunities offered by multimodal offerings—and to develop and deploy digital platforms of their own. In addition, we guide rail freight operators in adapting new digital solutions and in positioning their companies strategically in a rapidly changing value chain for transportation and logistics.

Big Data and the Internet of Things

We deploy advanced analytics to help rail industry clients identify routes with potential capacity and optimize yield. We also tap big data and predictive analytics to more easily reduce asset downtime and automate route and maintenance planning in rail infrastructure as well as passenger transport.

New Sharing Alternatives

Evolving modes of transport are reshaping markets around the world. We help rail transport companies collaborate with road and air services, including the emerging networks of autonomous vehicles, ridesharing, and bike sharing.

Our Latest Insights on the Rail Industry

Taking the Railroad Playbook Beyond PSR

To build upon their recent efficiency gains, railroads need an expanded set of management principles.

Digital Maintenance Can Unlock Growth in Rail

These technologies promise to slash expenses, improve reliability, and increase the utilization of capital-intensive rolling stock.

Explore Our Latest Thinking On Transportation and Logistics

How Rail Operators Can Compete in a World of Digitalized Mobility

Today’s automated rail systems present new challenges and opportunities. To succeed in this transformed landscape, operators must take these four steps now—plus forge new partnerships to strengthen their digital capabilities, explains BCG’s Henning Schierholz.

Our Tools and Solutions for the Rail Industry

BCG Platinion

Rail infrastructure and rail transport firms collaborate with our specialty business BCG Platinion to perfect the tech side of transformation. We assist with IT architecture design, digital transformation, risk management services, cybersecurity, and implementation management.

BCG GAMMA

BCG GAMMA’s data scientists partner with our rail industry experts to help develop AI-powered solutions and machine-learning algorithms that our clients own and integrate into their unique technology stack.

B Capital Group

B Capital Group, a global venture capital firm in partnership with BCG, invests in business-to-business startups during their early expansion stage and fosters partnerships between entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. We enjoy particular success connecting entrepreneurs with corporations seeking to adopt emerging technologies.

Transportation and Logistics Market Insight Tool

Our tool provides decision makers with a powerful cockpit for steering operational choices. The tool compiles data on 7 industries, 25 market segments and subsegments, and 31 financial KPIs. Get a complete picture of the industry’s forecast trends and assess your company’s relative performance.

Center for Digital in Transportation

Our rail operations consultants partner with operators to deploy digital levers, including digital platforms, predictive analytics, advanced monitoring, and automation of operations.

Center for Mobility Innovation

Through this center, we help clients address shared challenges, such as congestion, pollution, and the development of new technologies. We help clients connect with the right stakeholders at each stage of the value chain to take new ideas from the drawing board to the street.

Featured Client Work in the Rail Industry

Helping a National Rail Operator Serve as an Essential Contributor to a National Climate Management Program. Our rail operations consulting team gathered the evidence needed to position the company at the forefront of its nation’s sustainability strategy, boosting its standing with the government, businesses, and consumers.

Identifying and Prioritizing New Business Models That Could Be Developed from a National Rail Carrier’s Data Collection. We helped the carrier draw on best practices from several industries to estimate the likely value generated by the proposed models.