Abstract: A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, the plurality of shipment options, including a first shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by the customer and a second shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by an entity other than the customer.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method, as wells as an associated server arrangement and a computer, for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering are described. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to accept a customer identifier. In response to a customer login which identifies a specific customer profile, the GUI displays customer-specific information including a customer-specific list of actual railcars that are associated with the specific customer profile, each railcar being of a particular railcar type, the customer-specific list including actual railcars that are owned by the customer associated with the specific customer profile. The GUI is configured to accept inputs conveying customer-selected shipping options, the customer-selected shipping options identifying one or more actual railcars from the customer-specific list to be used for a shipment of a commodity.

Abstract: A method, as wells as an associated server arrangement and a computer, for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering are described. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to accept a customer identifier. In response to a specific customer identifier, the GUI displays a customer specific set of route parameters extracted from a customer profile. The GUI also presents customer-selectable shipment options configured to accept options conveying a first and a second geographic location chosen from the customer specific set of route parameters as an origin and a destination of a shipment. The GUI may also be configured to deliver additional information to the user of the GUI in response to specific customer-selected shipping options and/or to provide a control component configured for allowing a user to place an order to fulfill a shipment according to the specific customer-selected shipping options.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, including (a) a first route option corresponding to a first route including one or more rail segments owned by the same owner; and (b) a second route option corresponding to a second route including a plurality of rail segments where at least two of the plurality of rail segments are owned by different owners. The GUI is configured to receive a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options.

Abstract: A method, as wells as an associated server arrangement and a computer, for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering are described. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to accept a customer identifier. In response to a specific customer identifier, the GUI displays an adapted set of individual commodities extracted from a customer profile. The GUI also presents customer-selectable shipment options configured to accept options conveying an identification of a specific commodity to be shipped from the adapted set of individual commodities and a quantity of the specific commodity to be shipped.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, the plurality of shipment options, including a first shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by the customer and a second shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by an entity other than the customer.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is configured by dynamically modifying an input object providing equipment options a user can select for a shipment of goods. Configuring the GUI comprises providing a hardware server arrangement including a machine readable storage encoded with software for implementing operations for configuring the GUI to alter selectable options on a GUI on a remote customer client system. Signals are sent to the remote customer client system to direct the GUI to implement a first input object configured to accept a user input identifying goods to be shipped. Signals are received from the remote customer client system conveying the user input identifying the goods to be shipped.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price of a railway transportation service for the shipping goods is provided. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the information about the rail route and the ownership of the one or more railcars. The computer displays to the user the price for the shipment of the goods or, alternatively, the price for the shipment of the goods is provided to the user via other ways such as e-mail, snail-mail or fax.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price of a railway transportation service for the shipping goods is provided. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter information about a rail transportation service including an origin and a destination for the shipment of goods. In response to the origin and the destination information, the computer is caused to deliver a series of routes between the origin of the shipment of goods and the destination of the shipment of goods. The user is prompted to select at least one route from the series of routes. A price for the rail transportation service for shipment of goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the at least one route selected by the user and is provided to the user as a quote for the rail transportation service.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a price quotation information for shipping goods by rail. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer a parameter, the parameter specifying a given characteristic of a transportation service. In response to an entry by the user, a database of promotional events, including a plurality of entries mapping one or more discount eligibility criteria to a promotional event, is processed to identify an entry associated to a certain discount data element and to a certain promotional event. The certain discount eligibility criterion in the identified entry is such that it would be satisfied if the parameter provided by the user was altered. The computer then delivers second information to the user indicative of the certain promotional event.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Abstract: A method and system for computing the price of a railway transportation service for the shipping goods is provided. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter information about a rail transportation service including an origin and a destination for the shipment of goods. In response to the origin and the destination information, the computer is caused to deliver a series of routes between the origin of the shipment of goods and the destination of the shipment of goods. The user is prompted to select at least one route from the series of routes. A price for the rail transportation service for shipment of goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the at least one route selected by the user and is provided to the user as a quote for the rail transportation service.