At A Glance:

Capstone Sponsor: Norfolk Southern
Capstone Team Lead: Paul Roark
Capstone Team Members: Jackson France, Logan Olsen, and Brock Shorten
Key Problem: Assess railroad serving yard performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
Solution: Developed a performance metric and delivered key recommendations to improve performance and reliability.

The Challenge

MSBA-BA graduate students Paul Roark, Jackson France, Logan Olsen, and Brock Shorten analyzed how to improve Local Operating Performance Adherence (LOPA) for the Blue Ridge Division of Norfolk Southern. Their goal was to identify growth opportunities and enhance customer service by optimizing resource allocation, evaluating serving yards, and developing a performance framework. They aimed to provide actionable insights to help Norfolk Southern better manage their operations and improve overall efficiency.

The Solution

The team developed a comprehensive performance metric to evaluate serving yards based on volume and resource efficiency. Using data analysis and visualizations, they identified key areas for improvement, such as addressing the compounding issues leading to non-compliance spikes at the end of the week. Their recommendations included restructuring resource allocation to ensure better service reliability, modifying train lengths to reduce operational costs, and implementing tariffs to discourage non-compliance among customers. An economic analysis projected substantial cost savings from these changes, demonstrating the potential financial benefits for Norfolk Southern. The team also proposed using their performance metric and framework across other divisions to standardize and improve operations company-wide.

 

2024 Norfolk Southern Team Public Presentation