Class I railroads have been updating customers on their response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with four offering information through their company websites. Here’s the most recent information:
— Norfolk Southern, in a March 14 note from Alan Shaw, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said it is allowing remote work for employees whose jobs allow it; restricted access to critical functions in locations such as it Network Operations Center, and activated its Operations Command Center. The railroad also informed customers on Monday that it is delaying a new demurrage structure that was to take effect April 1. Customers will receive 30 days’ notice before the new rates take effect.
— CSX Transportation says it has “robust business continuity plans to minimize any potential operational impact” from the pandemic, including “backup facilities where business-critical functions are able to quickly transition and continue seamless train operations.” It is modifying work areas to create social distancing and allowing remote work by employees whose jobs permit it.”
— BNSF Railway says it has “well-established plans” to ensure rail service is maintained through any workforce disruption, including designating essential personnel and ensuring crews are available to keep trains moving. The railroad says all facilities remain open with additional safety protocols in place.
— Canadian National says it is “taking all necessary steps to protect our personnel while we continue to run a solid operation to keep the economy moving by serving our customers.” It declined further comment “for safety reasons.”
— Union Pacific, in a March 6 announcement, said it created a pandemic planning team in 2006 and has “a core team of health and safety professionals on hand to respond to infectious disease outbreaks.” Its pandemic operating plan includes establishing a command center staffed by personnel essential to continue operations. The railroad had limited nonessential travel.
— Updated at 12:20 p.m. on March 16 with information on NS demurrage change; updated at 12:15 p.m. on March 17 with CSX information.
NS isn’t a good house keeper, at many small MofW location they stop cleaning services over a year ago,and now they don’t even allow the purchase of sanitizing products or professional cleaning many of these locals. They are having hyper cleaning at other terminals such as Buffalo for T&E but not the lowly MofW!
The recent article in Trains by an engineer are comical as this is the same way they talked in the 60’s , as their crying in your beer attitude is the same ! They cry when they Have to Work, so if they cannot stand the fire, get out of the furnace ! Retired L&N Roadmaster .
No, Gerald is neither a troll nor a sociopath. For the second-ever time, I’m coming to the defense of Gerald a forum member I often disagree with.
My last 24 hours have been amazing (1) No eggs, no TP, and almost no rice at the supermarket (2 and 3) One medical and one dental appointment rescheduled with the clinics shut down except for emergencies (4) Gym closed (5) Church closed (7) Bible study (at another church) closed (7) Chess club shut down (8) Waukesha County Habitat for Humanity shut down. In other words my entire life, beyond home and family, shut down in a 24-hour period. This follows only a day or two since I was on a normal schedule of activities. I could add (9) restaurants shut down yesterday but I’d had no immediate plans to eat out.
As for the food store, it’s not entirely panic buying. The fact is more people will be at home for longer periods than they had planned for, so the home consumption of food and sanitary products increases.
All this is to slow the spread (“flatten the curve”) until the health care system gears up with medicines, beds, etc., as Gerald pointed out below. Gerald is right in his post. The virus will still be there and we won’t have been building up our collective immunity.
Yes, let’s get more people dying, so it suits you better Gerald. There’s a term for that: “sociopath”.
Gerald; this truly is one of your more trollish responses.
Anna harding sez, “But there is a lot of panic behaviour surrounding the issue, which does not help measures intended to contain the spread of the virus.”
Are you talking about the panic in the media or with the everyday person on the street?
This is strictly a personal opinion and should not be relied on for any purpose whatsoever. It is not legal advice.
This is not a manufactured panic – the COVID virus is real and serious measures are needed to put a cork in the situation. But there is a lot of panic behaviour surrounding the issue, which does not help measures intended to contain the spread of the virus.
Keep calm and carry on.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. The atmosphere is contagious, as are the Black Cross volunteers who circulate from family to family, pausing now and again to touch a child’s head. I wish I could – but I can’t. So long, Jim.
After the events of the last week I certainly don’t. Hope everyone stays safe out there.
Here’s a fact, from the CDC itself, they want to “flatten the curve” so that the virus hangs around for 12 – 24 months(1 – 2) years vs allowing everyone to behave and do everything normally and have a huge spike that overwhelms our healthcare system and allows more people to die. Well, I say don’t flatten the curve and let’s get this out of our ecosystem faster, even if that means more people dying than with a contained spread. I’d rather this be completely over with in 3 – 4 months than have it hang around for a year or two.
interesting the UP has planning team in place since 2006!. Way to go UP! I am glad a businessman is at the helm. Keep calm and pray on. I am. Blessings.
I wonder if anyone still believes this is a “manufactured panic?”
Sorry…below comment interrupted midstream.
Bottom line is that I now understand that this isn’t about how most cases will be like a mild version of the flu. The problem is that, without taking our isolation measures, a vast number of people would be expected to contract the virus. While most would be mild, the small percentage of serious cases would be enough to overwhelm our hospitals.
Your math may be a valid snapshot, but it’s way too early in the event to conclude that the numbers will be miniscule.
As I was saying, I hope you eventually feel it’s worthy of an ‘I told you so’. That will mean that the isolation procedures largely worked.
John,
Our best case scenario is that a few months from now, you feel like you can say ‘I told you so’.
I was in the same mindset a week ago when I left on a business trip scheduled months ago. Although I tried to take all the necessary precautions, my biggest concern wasn’t with getting sick, but rather stranded by a possible overreaction.
However, the rapid escalation causescoincidentally while I was attending a sporting event during the last session where spectators were to be allowed
another tree dweller, or trumpanzee
Manufactured virus-no. Manufactured crisis-IMHO yes.
As of today 4,100+ infected in the US. 0.000012% of the population. 72 deaths. 0.00000021% of the population. 1.7% mortality rate for those infected in the US. Much lower than previous world viruses.
The number infected could be higher as some people who were infected probably thought they had only a cold & never got tested. If that’s the case, the mortality rate would be lower.
The basic flu in the US: 167 deaths a day based on 30,000 deaths in 6 month flu season. (Flu deaths vary yearly 15,000 to 60,000. I picked 30,000. I’m not sure of how long the flu season is, so I picked 6 months. But I think it’s shorter, which would make the daily death rate higher.) No one gets panicked about the flu each year.
I just don’t see the reason for this level of panic other than possibly for a political agenda. Whatever the reason, it’s a darn shame that so many people are laid off, hours cut, retirement savings trashed, all for a manufactured crisis or agenda IMHO. Maybe it’s a group of people in power putting into practice, “never let a crisis go to waste.”
Call this a conspiracy theory if you want, but the numbers don’t lie.
That guy must work for CNN.
And how exactly is the media helping the panic? By reporting the actual numbers? If so, isn’t that their role? Business-as-usual or thoughts-and-prayers are not an acceptable strategy. Btw, Italy went from 229 detected cases on February 25, to more than 21000 yesterday (in less than three weeks), of which more than 2000 died. And that’s for a country with one of the best health care system in the World. Those are scary numbers; acknowledging the seriousness of the situation is not spreading panic, it’s being responsible.
The media is helping the panic for sure. An even bigger problem is all the trolls on social media. I see now the Feds say a foreign government is involved big time in trying to manipulate the news which is no surprise.
Meantime the stock market’s major players are waiting for it to bottom and then they will go back in big time. There is also the question as to how long the Russians and Saudis can keep their oil trade war going before their economies collapse.
One good thing I think will come out of all this is the US will make the effort to stop our dependency on China for medicine.