50 years in the field
PSC Group’s in-house recruitment, training, and oversight program for rail switching operations has been developed and honed during over 50 years of activity in the field at more than 75 leading facilities.
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Industial Railcar Switching
Enhance Safety. Decrease Cycle Time. Prevent Derailments.
PSC Group offers comprehensive turnkey solutions for safe and efficient rail switching at some of the most complex and demanding sites across North America. Over the years, we’ve found that integrating railcar switching with services such as loading and unloading, railcar repair, and inspections creates a safer, more streamlined operating environment. This bundled approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also delivers significant cost savings. By combining these complementary services, PSC maximizes value and performance for our customers’ rail operations.
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For the most challenging and complex sites, PSC Group Provides
fully equipped Rail Switching Solutions
75+ Rail Switching Sites
We manage more than 75 rail switching sites using our own fleet of advanced locomotives and mobile railcar movers, proven safety methods, and highly skilled personnel.
Custom tailored solutions
We work closely with our customers to tailor our services and equipment to meet their unique needs. Enhancing safety, decreasing cycle time, preventing derailments, and optimizing railcar utilization.
<0.25 Trir
PSC has maintained a TRIR of less than 0.25 for the last 7 years which is a testament to our commitment to safety excellence.
rail switching academy
PSC Group launched our Rail Switching Academy at our Bayport Rail Terminal in 2024 allowing us to provide highly trained switchmen to meet customer needs.
the More You KNow...
How Rail Switching Works
Everything in the rail switching process has to be carefully executed to ensure seamless operations that prioritize safety and prevent delays, especially when the site requires multiple crews to operate simultaneously.
Upon arrival at your facility, PSC Group's rail switching crews break up and classify the inbound train and switch the railcars to the locations in your facility where they are needed next for inspection, cleaning, repair, loading, or storage. When it’s time to load or unload, PSC Group spots the railcars and builds the outbound train for shipment to your customers. To move the cars within your facility, we use locomotives and mobile railcar movers, Trackmobiles, and Shuttle Wagons, tailored to the size and layout of your specific site.
Optimize Your Track Utilization
Rail Switching Service Teams
PSC Group’s rail switching service teams generally consist of three employees: a locomotive engineer who operates the locomotive or railcar mover, and two switchmen who manage the movements, connecting and releasing the railcars. We cross-train personnel in all positions to ensure the highest operational awareness and knowledge on every switch.
Our teams also analyze your operation to optimize your track usage and rail switching plan and significantly reduce total costs by preventing damages.
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Safe Railroad Switching Operations
Railcar switching is extremely dangerous, especially inside the largest petrochemical and refining facilities. Each railcar can weigh 280,000 pounds, and a single train may include dozens of railcars. Since the enormous weight is usually in close proximity to personnel and critical processing equipment, there is simply no room for error.
Our protocols leave nothing to chance—a switchman’s every movement, the reflective clothing they wear, how they communicate on the radio, and how they couple and uncouple railcars, set and release hand brakes, and connect and disconnect air hoses are all determined by best practices, and are carefully trained and regulated.
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Safety Ownership
Additionally, through our Safety Innovation Team's efforts, PSC Group is developing and testing new technology to further enhance the safety of personnel involved in these critical operations.
This investment reflects our commitment to Safety Ownership, one of PSC Group's core values: "We believe in looking out for each other, reporting and mitigating hazards, and working together to achieve incident-free performance."
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Low Total Recordable Injury Rate
We completed 2024 with a 0.15 Total Recordable Injury Rate, marking the seventh consecutive year with a rate under 0.25
