KCS redefines two service metrics

Written by Andrew Corselli, Managing Editor of Railway Age
KCS
AAR reports rail traffic for week ending Dec. 19, 2020.
Kansas City Southern

In an effort to provide a more complete view of customer service and operational performance on its network, Kansas City Southern (KCS) has revised the definitions of two key service metrics—Operational Cars Online and Gross Velocity—that it uses to measure operating performance.

Formerly Cars Online, Operational Cars Online is now defined as: “A car level metric representing the number of cars on the KCS network that are not at a customer’s location.”

Gross Velocity, formerly Train Speed, is now: “A train level metric measuring the average velocity of a train between its origin and destination stations, calculated as the sum of the miles traveled divided by the sum of total transit hours.”

Transit hours, KCS noted, are measured by calculating the difference between a train’s origin departure and destination arrival date and times broken down by segment across the train route.

KCS added that this metric includes all time spent at intermediate locations between a train origin and destination (including all crew changes, terminal dwell, delays, and incidents).

“As part of its transition to a precision-scheduled network, KCS is pleased to provide a more complete view of its operational performance to its customers and stakeholders,” stated KCS Executive Vice President, Precision Scheduled Railroading, Sameh Fahmy. “These revised metrics will give stakeholders a more accurate understanding of KCS’s operational performance as we strive to improve customer service.”

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