BNSF
After two weeks of weather challenges—Winter Storm Cora arriving shortly after Winter Storm Blair, bringing additional snow and ice to the Midwest—BNSF reported on Jan. 17 that its operating teams “have generated some improved service performance.” The weather stretched from the Texas Panhandle across Arkansas and Tennessee, affecting the eastern part of the Southern Transcon, with Memphis experiencing its largest one-day snowfall in 40 years, according to the Class I. These conditions, it said, “prolonged recovery efforts from the initial winter weather in the region, particularly in the broader Memphis and Kansas City areas.”
Regarding key service metrics (see above), BNSF reported on Jan. 17 that car velocity was “slightly down from the prior week, while average terminal dwell showed modest improvement. Our local service compliance measure decreased slightly from last week and the average for December. Total volume increased more than 8% from the prior week.”
The railroad said it expected “[c]hallenging operating conditions” across a large portion of its network for the weekend (Jan. 18-19) and the coming week. “Arctic temperatures will affect numerous locations along the Northern Corridor and Southern Transcon this weekend, stretching from Montana and the Dakotas to Minnesota, down through the Plains into New Mexico and Texas,” it noted. “In the South, temperatures are expected to drop by 20 to 30 degrees by Sunday, while single-digit and sub-zero temperatures will persist in the North throughout the weekend and into the next week.”
To address these conditions, BNSF said it implemented train length restrictions in the affected areas. “These measures, along with the use of distributed locomotive power, significantly enhance train braking performance in cold weather,” it pointed out. “These restrictions will remain in effect until midweek, when conditions are expected to improve.”
Additionally, in the North, “gusty winds and bouts of minor snowfall may accompany the freezing temperatures,” according to the railroad, which said its teams were monitoring conditions and “ready to respond to any service disruptions.”
Further Reading: Western Intermodal; Incoming Cold Snap
CSX
CSX on Jan. 16 released a video (see above) congratulating its Selkirk (N.Y.) Locomotive Shop team for reaching 1,350-plus injury-free days. This is “a record for our Mechanical teams,” according to the Class I.
This milestone includes “all injuries, not just FRA injuries,” shop Safety Coordinator Tim Ferrand reported in the video. “So, it is a big accomplishment for everybody in this shop,” he noted, “and it’s a pride that everybody takes home with them every day.”
“One thing I’m extremely proud of with this group of employees is how we have been able to come together,” added CSX Assistant Superintendent Seth Friend. “We take every tool that is given to us and add it to our tool belt, so with the new SAFE CSX program that’s kicking off and the ONE CSX mindset, these guys have Incorporated that into what they do and they use those tools to be even better than we have been.”
Commented machinist Zane Bathrick: “It’s nice to know when you’re coming in that we’ve had this record, but we also stay humble because we know that every single day is a new day, and every day we have to act like that’s at zero, and we’re coming in to be safe.”
How did the Selkirk Locomotive Shop team get here?
“It was employee involvement; it was caring about each other and challenging each other from a safety standpoint,” CSX Superintendent John Lynch reported.
Added the railroad: “This milestone reflects the power of teamwork and a shared commitment to safety.”
In a related development, subsidiaries of Pittsburg, Kans.-based Watco and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Patriot Rail recently reached their own safety milestones.
