CSX reports progress in service model transition

CSX Corp. is making progress in its implementation of a new operating model, the company announced yesterday. 

The Class I has improved its transit time, train speed, car-handling efficiency and terminal fluidity as it continues to implement the principles of precision scheduled railroading, said President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison in a press release. 

Highlights of the most recent company report include:

• Since mid-July, systemwide train velocity on CSX's network has increased 16 percent, which is now higher than 2016's full-year average;

• Transit times for scheduled merchandise trains have returned to a normal range, and are now lower than transit levels were when CSX began implementing scheduled railroading in the first quarter;

• Average terminal dwell — the number of hours cars spend in terminals between their origins and destinations — has steadily improved over the past two months. Currently, the terminal dwell time is 11.2 hours, which is down more than 15 percent since the summer and lower than 2016's full-year average.

• CSX's hump terminals continue to operate fluidly, within planned parameters and with enough capacity to handle additional freight requirements.

"We continue to drive forward in our effort to become the best railroad in North America, and the benefits of Precision Scheduled Railroading are becoming more apparent to our customers and our partners every day," Harrison said. 

CSX's update comes about a week before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) holds a public listening session on the railroad's recent service problems related to its transition to precision scheduled railroading.

The session — which will be held Oct. 11 at the STB's headquarters in Washington, D.C. — will enable CSX executives to discuss the railroad’s operational issues and service recovery efforts associated with implementing precision scheduled railroading. STB members also will hear testimony from rail shippers and other stakeholders affected by service disruptions.

The STB has been monitoring CSX's service performance since July following informal complaints from numerous shippers. As part of that oversight, the board's staff holds weekly calls with CSX senior managers and receives weekly service metrics from the Class I. In addition, the STB's Rail Customer and Public Assistance office has been working with affected shippers to resolve some service disruptions.