By William C. Keppen, Jr., Railway Age Magazine; February 8, 2019
I knew Hunter Harrison when he was a Burlington Northern trainmaster and I was a BLET Local Chairman, all those many years ago. Today, as Hunter’s Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) is rolled out on six of the seven Class I railroads, I’ve come to believe that PSRis not a destination, but a never-ending journey. At least that’s how I see it.
Along the way, management should not overlook the opportunities afforded to those who incorporate what I call PCS—Precision Crew Scheduling—into their PSR plans. Think about it. Once you have train movements scheduled and balanced, it would take very little effort to also provide high-quality information to train crew personnel well in advance of when they would be called for duty.