Application of computer techonology to railway freight

The railway-freight business is well suited to the application of computer technology because of its widespread activity with variations in both flow and volume. Four years ago British Rail decided to adopt a computerised information system, known as TOPS, to improve the efficiency of the movement of freight. This article gives a brief history of TOPS, a breakdown of the equipment used in the system and the method used to integrate it with British Rail´s freight service