I have been reading the Wall Street Journal article mentioned above about PSR. The article is mostly about how NS is trying to implement the PSR. The article says that NS estimates that PSR will allow the railroad to cut 3,000 jobs and idle 500 locomotives. It also says that PSR will allow NS to run trains faster and make the system more fluid.
The article mentions that there was a total meltdown when CSX implemented PSR. NS is going to try to avoid CSX's mistakes. The article says that the only major railroad that is not going down the PSR path is BNSF. BNSF is owned by Warren Buffet;s Berkshire-Hathaway.
I am not sure how PSR results in faster trains. It appears to me that trains will run on fixed schedules and will not spend as much time in yards or waiting in sidings. It does not mean that they will travel at a higher speeds. Faster really means fewer stops and less waiting.
Clearly PSR is not good for the employees who are laid off or engine manufacturers. It may be good for Wall Street investors and perhaps for shippers. One shipper is quoted in the article as saying: "It's [PSR] still doing less with less and not charging any less." NH Joe
