Report: Norfolk Southern working toward a ‘more stable, resilient network’

Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires told reporters at a rail conference outside Chicago Thursday that the railroad is working towards a more “stable, resilient network” for 2018, according to a report from Reuters news service.    Class I railroad Norfolk Southern is working toward a “more stable, resilient network” for 2018 after experiencing service issues in recent months, chief executive Jim Squires told Reuters at a rail conference near Chicago on Thursday.
   Reuters asked Squires when the railroad’s operations will stabilize, and Squires said he is working for a “more stable, resilient company. I am not here to make excuses. Yeah, it’s been tough. When it gets cold in the south… we struggle. It’s tough and it has been tough,” he said.
   Norfolk Southern’s rail network covers 22 states along the U.S. East Coast, which experienced multiple bad storms in recent months, including one particularly bad winter storm earlier this month.
   Just last week, the railroad’s average train speed was down to 20 miles per hour, compared to 23 miles per hour a year ago, according to Reuters. Additionally, the average idle time for rail cars in terminals was 28.4 hours versus 24.7 hours a year ago, Reuters said, citing company data.
   Norfolk Southern has also experienced other service issues, such as periodic crew shortages in 2017, Reuters said. When asked about crew shortages, Squires said the railroad had experienced problems in some locations, but does not think it is “systemic in nature.”
   “Squires also said, “We think that we have adequate resources to handle foreseeable demand, but we’ve got to get that resources equation right in each and every place we operate. That can be a challenge.”
   He acknowledged that, “What you want from us is an action plan. My commitment in 2018 is to a more resilient, durable, predictable marketplace. I am not going to stop until we achieve that goal.”