The team at Norfolk Southern’s Inman Yard in Atlanta is improving productivity through communication and alignment.

The Inman team reviews a terminal plan document with Intermodal, Mechanical, and Engineering. The plan ensures a clear strategy to manage the day’s expected volume. The team also communicates with each other throughout the day to stay ahead of potential obstacles, utilizing the terminal plan to stay aware of any changes that may occur. Crew members, terminal leadership, and supporting departments are joining together to deliver safe, reliable, and resilient service to our customers.

The new approach has led to measurable improvements in productivity, including:

• After the terminal plan was introduced, train dwell time declined nearly 50%.
• On Time Performance (OTP) increased after the team defined the train build process by 20% over the last 6 months of 2023.

“We want Norfolk Southern to be the rail partner of choice for our customers,” said Neil Palmer, Terminal Superintendent. “We’re meeting this challenge by ensuring that we have a solid daily plan, and we have the right crew members together to discuss each day’s volume.”

To sustain these improvements, Inman is growing its next generation of leaders. Four of the yard’s high performing Lead Supervisors were recently paired with junior supervisors to assist with their professional growth. In addition, the entire team is further developing for increased responsibility in the future.