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Kansas City Southern Senior Vice President of Operations Jerry Heavin, SVP of Marketing and Sales Larry Stevenson, and other senior officials have spent several days conducting town hall meetings with employees to emphasize the railroad's corporate vision and goals.

Because officials believe safety is KCS' most critical challenge, they are stressing the following top-of-mind guidelines to workers: Never take shortcuts or compromise on safety, and follow all transportation, mechanical and maintenance-of-way department rules.

Officials also are encouraging employees — especially transportation workers, who interface with customers — to avoid short cuts in providing service, and to do everything they can to conserve resources, such as turning off lights and shutting down idling locomotive engines.

"Increasing top-line growth and reducing our costs is the best way to ensure long-term viability," said Stevenson in a prepared statement. "The best way to do that is by ensuring customer satisfaction and eliminating waste."

Officials have held meetings in East St. Louis, Ill.; Kansas City, Mo.; Pittsburg, Kan.; Heavener, Okla.; Shreveport, La.; and Wylie and Beaumont, Texas. Today, they'll conduct meetings in Baton Rouge, La., and Vicksburg and Meridian, Miss.