Norfolk Southern EVP and COO Paul Duncan On Workforce Initiatives

Norfolk Southern is justifiably proud of the partnership it has forged with its craft unions. Executive Vice President and Chief Operatiing Officer Paul Duncan discusses the improvements and special programs that have been instituted at Norfolk Southern with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. Among these are START (System Teamwork and Responsibility Training), and a training and mentoring program for new conductors that matches experienced railroaders with trainees. “We’ve got conductors that are more than willing to help train new folks and are very good at it. We work with our local chairman at the various locations where we’re bringing on conductor trainees to ensure that we’re matching them up with folks that match in personality traits as well as leadership,” Duncan says. Podcast sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies, which has teamed with Norfolk Southern to develop sustainable, high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel gondolas constructed of a lighter-weight steel that reduces unloaded weight by up to 15,000 pounds.