HOW RAIL WORKS Freight Rail Handbook STEP THREE: THE PROCESS OF SORTING CARGO A loaded rail car will make its final stop at a processing location, where its cargo will be sorted and classified. Final delivery is provided by local area trains that perform a service similar to that of the postman. Once the cars are unloaded, the journey starts again when the empty car is sent back to its origin – usually along the same route – to be loaded and shipped again. HOW IT WORKS – Factors that influence processing. Every processing center is different. Track space, connection with other railroads, and method of classification are all considerations that separate one terminal from another. These factors also affect the time it takes for a customer’s cars to process before their next leg of the journey, and can include the following: · Number of cars shipped · Complexity of the delivery requirements · Weight of the loaded cars · Height, width and depth of the shipment packages · Amount of rail infrastructure at a receiver location HOW IT WORKS - Behind the scenes. Dedicated sales and marketing teams devoted to rail systems also provide the following services for shipping via rail: · Assessing transportation costs for customers · Assistance with finding or building a rail-served location · Management of billing · Assistance with restrictions and criteria on how rail cars can be loaded While many other details go into the successful shipment of cargo on a railroad network, this outline gives a general overview of the process from beginning to end. Every situation, project and shipment is different, but the purpose of rail remains the same: to safely, smoothly and efficiently transport goods from one location to another.