Norfolk Southern TOP|SPG Operating Plan, with Cindy Sanborn and Paul Duncan

Norfolk Southern’s TOP|SPG operating plan—which stands for
Thoroughbred Operating Plan | Service Productivity Growth—has
evolved from NS’s previous plans, TOP 21 among them. Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Sanborn and Vice
President Network Planning and Operations Paul Duncan join Railway
Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono to talk about how TOP | SPG
“isn’t a radical change in how we work with our customers, but a
shift in how we execute our operations to move their shipments more
directly and consistently.” The biggest changes affect intermodal
markets, NS’s most time-sensitive business. TOP | SPG modifies
about 90% of scheduled intermodal and merchandise trains “to reduce
terminal congestion, improve network fluidity and create capacity
for growth, ultimately simplifying the network through an operating
plan with a high level of executability that will drive greater
consistency and service improvements for customers.” Podcast
sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies