CSX revises service metrics to better reflect performance

CSX has revised the way it calculates its service metrics to more accurately reflect the Class I's operational performance, company officials announced yesterday.

The revised metrics address train velocity, terminal dwell and cars online.

"CSX is transitioning to precision scheduled railroading, which focuses heavily on service to customers and asset utilization," said President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison in a press release. "These revised service metrics give us a more accurate understanding of how we are performing and where there are additional opportunities for improvement."

The revised metrics are as follows:
• Train velocity now includes a train's end-to-end time, and accordingly, speed. The previous definition only counted time on line of road, and excluded intermediate dwell time for crew changes, freight car pick-up or set-off, or other work events at an intermediate yard. The updated definition includes intermediate dwell, reflecting the true speed of a train from origin to destination, and will help identify all opportunities to move trains faster and more reliably from origin to destination.
• Terminal dwell now includes all car dwell time encountered on an end-to-end trip. The previous definition excluded the amount of time a car spent at a terminal during an intermediate work event if it arrived and departed on the same train. The updated definition includes intermediate car dwell for terminal work events when a car arrives and departs on the same train.
• Cars online now measures the number of active freight rail cars on rail lines operated by CSX. The previous definition included all cars that were last reported on a line operated by CSX, which counted several categories of inactive freight rail cars.
 
To help users analyze the company's performance history, CSX restated its 2016 and 2017 train velocity and terminal dwell performance data using the definitions. The data, along with 2017 cars online data, are available on the company's website.

Yesterday's announcement follows recent reports of shippers' complaints and regulators' concerns about a deterioration of CSX service as the railroad restructures under Harrison's leadership.

In a letter to the Rail Customer Coalition last week, Harrison said CSX is "addressing aggressively" its customers' service issues.