Norfolk Southern kicks off TOP21 operating plan

Today, Norfolk Southern Railway will begin rolling out its new precision scheduled railroad operating plan known as TOP21, the Class I announced yesterday in a customer service alert.

The new plan is designed to improve service performance for customers and provide network efficiencies, NS officials said in the alert.

The first phase of TOP21's train plan changes predominantly affects merchandise service. While the changes are not expected to result in service disruptions, the Class I will have an internal command center in place to ensure a smooth rollout and timely communication of any issues, NS officials said.

The railroad began developing TOP21 last year.

“TOP21 will improve our network fluidity and velocity, reduce our circuity and train miles, make our railroad more resilient, and give us greater capacity for growth,” NS Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw said earlier this month in a press release.