By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Norfolk Southern Railway is trying to reach the “top” of the service-performance and growth-spurring heap among Class Is by instituting a new operating plan. On June 27, NS launched TOP|SPG, which stands for Thoroughbred Operating Plan|service, productivity and growth.
Part of NS’ effort to become more customer-centric and operations-driven, TOP|SPG guides the day-to-day movement of trains and shipments network-wide to better serve changing customer needs and consumer demands. Through the plan, shipments will travel more directly with a one-market origin to one-market termination.
A previous TOP21 operating plan concentrated on merchandise and bulk traffic, but TOP|SPG primarily will focus on intermodal and ways to make daily operations simpler, more consistent and executable. As part of the plan, NS plans to re-work its intermodal operations to enhance service and improve fluidity, such as by balancing the flow of shipments through terminals, intermediate yards and the overall network; eliminating choke points; reducing work events; and realigning train schedules.
For example, there has been only one scheduled intermodal train operating between 47th Street Yard in Chicago and Harrisburg Yard in Pennsylvania, and two scheduled trains between 63rd Street Yard in Chicago and Rutherford Yard in Pennsylvania. A customer whose container misses a train at the 47th Street facility needs to wait 24 hours before the next train and containers then tend to dwell for up to 24 hours between trains.
Through TOP|SPG, local intermodal service between Chicago and Harrisburg will be consolidated, with four scheduled trains operating between 47th Street and Harrisburg Yard. A customer whose container misses a train from the 47th Street terminal then will only need to wait about six hours on average before their container leaves on the next train. Containers will dwell less often at origin, customers will benefit from faster service, the network will gain greater fluidity, and traffic flows in and out of terminals will be improved, NS officials say.
In the video below, several NS senior executives describe TOP|SPG and explain why the operating plan is crucial for the company to meet its current and future objectives.
Video courtesy of Norfolk Southern Railway
