Today CP announced that they are shaving one day off the timings of their Vancouver to Toronto Intermodal schedule, and two days off their timings for Vancouver to Chicago schedule.
Great news.[tup]
I hope they catch a few breaks from Mother Nature this winter, and get a chance to build up their customer service rep.
Bruce
As Trains’ “Professional Iconoclast” column author of the 1960’s and 1970’s John Kneiling liked to point out, why can’t they think and improve in time increments smaller than an entire day once in a while . . . every hour has value, too, to both the customer and the railroad.
- Paul North.
Individaul hours have very little meaning to the customer - car load customers, for the most part are serviced daily - the car either makes their switch or it doesn’t. If the car is on a train that arrives at destination 4 hours early - they don’t care because the will still get their switch in their expected window. If the car arrives 4 hours late and makes thier switch, they still don’t care. No matter when the car arrives the serving yard - if it doesn’t make their switch - then THEY CARE.
In practical terms, customers only car about day values, because they only get service one time a day,
In intermodal service, with the ability to dray on arrival, hours have more meaning.
Faster is better AND cheaper. It’s all about the assets…
It’s a press release, not a logistics plan.
Short, to the point, get attention. Get published as widely as possible.
After the fact that CP is improving its service gets someone’s attention the details of hours can be addressed. Either they’ll call CP for more information or they’ll be more receptive when a CP sales representative calls them…
But first, you gotta’ get their attention. Then you make the sale.
I have to wonder just how many loiter events were built into the old schedule to enable them to shave two days from Vancouver/Chicago. It sure sounds like railroading was being done pretty casually.
This is a step in the right direction…And now maybe they can focus more on time definite delivery verses day definite. Maybe not for carloads, but at least for containers and trailers. My own customers for the most part require delivery at specific times, and I usually get a 30 minute window or else the load is considered early (not good) or late ( even worse).
Great for CP!
The latest tale I have heard from usually reliable sources is that the big focus on the 100 series trains, speeding them up and keeping on schedule, has interfered sufficiently with the lesser trains that at least one fairly major shipper is threatening to move their business to CNR due to unreliable performance. The Network Management Center discovers the railway is indeed a network, and should be managed that way.
The new boss may wish to make quick changes, but perhaps he should make sure they can be made workable first, or at least indicate to his field staff what adjustments are necessary elsewhere so each major change will happen smoothly without major ill affects.
John