Online computer repair

Association of American Railroads subsidiary Railinc has implemented phase one of an important technological advancement in freight railroading: a redesign of the AAR Car Repair Billing (CRB) System, which supports the monthly exchange of information to process payables and receivables. Users can now access the CRB System via the Internet to price and enter railcar repairs and create invoices. They also can participate in the CRB Data Exchange, a monthly exchange of repair bills maintained by Railinc for AAR.

The new CRB system includes an Internet-enabled Billing Repair Card module that allows small repair shops and short line and regional railroads to report repairs, automatically price them against the AAR Price Master, and send the repair data directly into Railinc's Data Exchange.

The redesign "improves the network efficiency of the rail industry by promoting more efficient business exchanges among railcar owners, freight car repair companies, and railroads," said Railinc Director-Business Systems Rick Hobb. "By enabling the CRB Billing Repair Card to be accessed over the Internet, repair shops and short lines will be able to accurately price their repairs and create invoices. Car owners benefit from an improved AAR Price Master, more accurate price matrices, and data exchanges that help eliminate paper invoices."