photo: VTG press materials/VTG
VTG, Europe’s biggest privately owned provider of freight wagons for hire, last year put digital fleet management on the rails in the shape of traigo. After posting a variety of information around the wagon hire business on the new platform, the company is now taking the platform a step further by facilitating interaction with users. Starting now, the “Wagon Hire” tool allows users to check wagon availability and request offers with no obligations. “Our aim with traigo is to digitalize rail, yes, but also to create a whole new customer experience,” says Sven Wellbrock, Chief Operating Officer Europe & Chief Safety Officer of VTG AG. “We want to make rail more transparent, more efficient and easier for our customers to use.”
New digital application for efficient rail traffic
In addition to established traigo functionality such as the “Mileage Forecast” and “Status Monitoring”, a new “Wagon Hire” tool now lets users see immediately what wagons are available and ask about them directly. This service is currently available for intermodal wagons. Users can filter inquiries by wagon type – for pocket wagons and container carriers – as well as by location and various technical parameters. It is also possible to select the intended mileage and the date as of which wagons are to be hired. Inquiries containing all these specifications can be submitted directly. A member of VTG’s sales staff will then send a corresponding offer.
“To make rail more attractive in the long term, we are putting customers and their transportation needs at the center of everything we think and do,” says Thomas Dittmann, Head of Product traigo. “Customers expect faster, more transparent and more tailor-made solutions – solutions that are available online and at any time. Our response is traigo, which enables rail to go digital.”
Further functions in the pipeline
Traigo serves as a digital counterpart to the analogue services provided in the past. VTG is already working hard to develop and deliver more functions, such as online wagon hire functions, damage reports and additions to the “Status Monitoring” feature. Going forward, it also plans to open up its offerings to non-VTG customers.
Source: VTG´s press releases