At Norfolk Southern’s Network Operations Center (NOC), our Locomotive Group is making significant strides in driving greater efficiency across our entire network. Through teamwork and innovative approaches, the group is boosting productivity while conserving valuable resources to better serve our customers.

The Locomotive Group is a closely aligned team that collaborates to ensure success across our network. Each member has held increasingly responsible positions within NS throughout their careers, bringing many years of railroading experience to their current roles.

Busayo Amosu, Manager, Locomotive Operations, was born in Nigeria, and her family later relocated to United States in 1996 where she was raised in Atlanta. After earning two bachelor’s degrees and an MBA from Georgia Southern University, she joined NS in 2019 as an operations supervisor trainee in Augusta, Georgia, before moving to the NOC as a chief dispatcher. Amosu loves logistics and how it helps the economy move in the most efficient way. She considers herself a servant leader, focused on meeting the needs of her team.

“Every morning, we review locomotive performance and map out a plan. We consider how much traffic we're moving, how far, and with how much power. Our goal is to move more with less horsepower and look for opportunities to store additional locomotives. We engage in healthy discussions within our team at the NOC and with our field teams, allowing us to plan up to 12 hours in advance and manage exceptions as they arise,” said Amosu.

Over the past six months, the group has successfully reduced the number of idle locomotives. These productivity gains, along with other initiatives, have enabled a reduction in the fleet by over 500 locomotives. These efforts have generated several key efficiencies, including fewer engines sitting idle and a smaller overall fleet.

Merchandise consistency—a key metric that measures how often we meet customer service expectations—has been on an upward trend since March 1 and has remained high throughout the year, even as the number of locomotives has decreased. On-time delivery and consistency are critical to being the transportation partner of choice.

The success of the Locomotive Group is amplified by its close coordination with our Bulk and Customer Logistics teams, ensuring that resources are aligned for maximum efficiency. The goal of this collaboration is to keep our assets in motion as much as possible, minimizing idle hours.

“The Locomotive Group’s ability to innovate and adapt has allowed NS to deliver top-tier customer service to our terminals while keeping trains running on time,” said Max Patterson, Director of Locomotive Operations. “Thanks to our team’s remarkable achievements, we’ve increased shipment consistency while reducing the number of active locomotives.”

Denise Siegel, Manager, Locomotive Operations for the Keystone Division, joined NS as a Management Trainee in 2015 after college. She later became a mechanical supervisor at Moorman Yard in Bellevue, Ohio, before moving to Atlanta in 2019 to serve as manager of yard and local fleet for the Northern Region, prior to her current position.

“Our work in the Locomotive Group ensures we maximize our assets for our customers. We make daily decisions not to overpower trains, allowing us to pull the maximum tonnage without wasting fuel. Our team communicates closely with field and terminal teams in both the Northern and Southern Regions to make the right decisions,” said Siegel.

Susan Sugden, Manager, Locomotive Operations, previously served as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Navy before joining NS in 2008 as an operations supervisor trainee. She has held increasingly responsible positions in Transportation and Dispatching, both in Illinois and Atlanta, before joining the NOC in her current role in 2019.

“Collaboration is key to our success. We work closely with teams across Transportation, Mechanical, Dispatch, and the Unit Group to ensure alignment. Continuous communication encourages open dialogue, allowing us to make decisions together in real time. This collaboration ensures locomotives are deployed efficiently, trains are properly powered, engines make it to the shop in time for repair and maintenance, and no engines sit idle longer than necessary,” said Sugden.

The Locomotive Group works closely with leadership year-round, continually identifying new ways to reduce costs, advance efficiency, and enhance the value we provide to our customers.