Velocity: It Isn't Just a Train-Speed Measure at BNSF

This article gives an overview of time-saving efforts that have been implemented at BNSF Railway. They include a "Velocity" initiative that reaches up and down the company ranks. Since mid-2006, dozens of teams of two to four employees have been analyzing work processes and operations and developing recommended actions to shave time. Intermodal equipment is moving through terminals more quickly, coal trains are loading and leaving sooner, and work orders are passed to employees in a fraction of the time it used to take. Five areas have been identified as key to increased success in streamlining operations. These include people, community, franchise, service, and return, and are all a part of BNSF’s Pyramid for Success. Customers will be invited to take part as well. A survey of 1,400 rail shippers shows results, with 27 percent saying that BNSF offers the best ratio of rates to service of all its competitors, except for Norfolk Southern.