Norfolk Southern’s freight service is trending in the wrong direction an analysis published on the website of Trains magazine shows.
The analysis said the average train speed, the time that cars stand still without moving, and terminal dwell times are all up over the past couple of months. I some instances trains were unable to move due to lack of crews or locomotives.
Contributing to the service issues have been crew shortages, lack of sufficient motive power and congestion at key terminals.
NS has experienced higher than normal attribution among operating personnel despite having stepped up its efforts to hire and train new conductors.
The Class 1 railroad has taken other steps to try to shore up its workforce including reaching out to former employees to try to entice then to return.
A railroad spokesman told Trains that NS has experienced the same “perfect storm of challenges” affecting other companies in the transportation and logistics industry that have resulted in supply chain congestion issues.
Among the steps the spokesman said NS has taken are realigning crew districts and creating a team of workers who can relocate to areas in the system that need additional personnel for a short time period.
The analysis can be read at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/norfolk-southern-service-deteriorates-amid-crew-shortages/
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