Sunday Message: Safety, Cost, and Service Priorities for March

Sean Ireland

Good morning. I hope you’re all doing well and adjusting after turning those clocks ahead an hour. That time change is always a reminder that spring is right around the corner, and with that comes a lot of activity on the railroad. It’s a good moment to reset and really refocus.

Sean Ireland

Let me start where we always start: safety remains our primary focus. That’s not just a tagline for us. When we look back over the last few weeks, the data’s telling us something very clearly. Our biggest opportunities continue to be human factor incidents and injuries tied to shove moves and falls — both from height and from the same level. Those two categories keep showing up, and we’ve gotta treat them like the red flashing lights that they are.

Sean Ireland

We’ve also seen a pattern that’s pretty consistent month over month. Performance tends to slip in the third and fourth weeks of the month. It’s that period where the month’s been long, folks are tired, routines feel comfortable, and we start to let our guard down just a bit. And that’s exactly when the railroad reminds us we don’t get any “off weeks.” Recently, we had three FRA human factor incidents occur within a 48‑hour window, all in that late‑month period. That is way too concentrated for us to shrug off as coincidence.

Sean Ireland

On the injury side, we still have significant work to do as we head into spring. We’ve got to be proactive in reducing exposure — not just reacting once something happens. Education, reinforcement of expectations, and holding each other accountable out in the field all matter. One trend we’ve picked up is incidents happening on the last move of the day or the last move of the shift. That’s the moment when you’re thinking about going home, grabbing dinner, seeing your family. And that’s exactly when we’re seeing some people rush or shortcut. We need to get ahead of that. The last move has to be done with the same focus and discipline as the first move.

Sean Ireland

So let’s talk about this week’s specific safety focus. Weather is a big one. We’ve got rain in the forecast, and with that comes changing track conditions. Rain and mud soften the roadbed, and that can lead to gauge issues. You may not see a catastrophic problem, but small changes in gauge, soft spots, and poor footing all add up to risk — both for derailments and for slips, trips, and falls. I need everyone to be really deliberate about walking conditions, stepping, and observing the track before you move equipment over it.

Sean Ireland

As temperatures move up and down, we’re also dealing with thaw and freeze cycles. That’s where we see gapped switches — little to no tension on the switch — especially as it warms up. Those gapped or poorly lined switches are a big contributor to shove‑related incidents. This week, I want switch awareness front and center. Don’t assume a switch is fine because it was fine yesterday. Visually inspect it, physically confirm it, and don’t rush through that step.

Sean Ireland

On RCO assignments specifically, I want to be crystal clear. If you’re protecting a shove with RCO, personnel need to be out on the point, not sitting in the cab of the locomotive. You cannot see what you need to see from inside the cab. Same goes for protecting shove moves in general: do not protect a shove from inside a truck or a taxi. That’s not an acceptable practice. If we’re moving equipment, the person protecting that movement has to be in a position to clearly see the track, the equipment, and any potential hazards.

Sean Ireland

Job Safety Briefings this week should reflect all of this. Talk about rain, freeze/thaw, and how you’re gonna prepare. Ask: where is water pooling? Are we seeing soft spots? Where are our switches most vulnerable? Make sure people know they’re expected to report pooling water, soft ballast, and any questionable track conditions. Not “I’ll tell someone later,” but right away, before it becomes an incident.

Sean Ireland

And then we’ve got our Exposure Reduction Discussions. The focus this week is very targeted: on the injury side, falls from the same level and falls from height. On the track accident side, it’s shoves and switches. Keep those four words in your head: falls, height, shoves, switches. When you’re briefing, when you’re working, and especially when you’re wrapping up a shift and making that last move, slow down and think about those exposure points. If something doesn’t feel right, stop and reset. That’s how we’re gonna get ahead of these trends this spring.

Sean Ireland

Alright, let’s shift into operational testing and how we reinforce these expectations in the field. We’ve got a very specific plan in place right now. The focus is on shove moves and switches, and the testing is gonna reflect that.

Sean Ireland

This week, we’re requiring two switch card tests per shift, and those tests are to be performed on shove moves. The idea here is not to “catch” people; it’s to make sure the rules and expectations around shove protection and switch handling are being followed consistently, every time. When we say we’re focused on shove moves and switches, we’re backing that up with targeted testing, so nobody should be surprised by what we’re looking at out there.

Sean Ireland

Critical rule compliance is also front and center. We’ve got over 40 people this year who’ve had critical rule test exceptions. That’s a big number, and it cannot just sit on a spreadsheet somewhere. Those exceptions require follow‑up — one‑on‑one conversations, coaching, and, where needed, corrective action. Leaders: if you’ve got employees on that list, you own that follow‑up. Don’t wait for someone else to handle it. Make sure expectations are clear and that folks understand the “why” behind the rules, not just the words on the page.

Sean Ireland

Now, on job safety briefings and shove protection, let me clarify expectations again, because this is where we see shortcuts creep in. A good job briefing is not a box‑check. It’s a discussion about the specific work you’re doing, the risks present today — not last week — and the controls you’re gonna use. That includes how you’re protecting shoves, who’s protecting them, and where that person needs to be positioned.

Sean Ireland

You cannot protect a shove from inside a vehicle — not a truck, not a taxi. If that’s been happening in your area, it stops now. The person protecting the shove must be in a place where they have clear visibility of the equipment and the track. On RCO assignments, same thing: personnel must be out on the point, not riding in the cab. If you’re in the cab, you do not have the line of sight you need, and you’re not fulfilling the role we expect on an RCO shove.

Sean Ireland

Supervisors and managers: during your briefings and job observations this week, ask specific questions. “How are you protecting this shove?” “Where will you be positioned?” “What are you doing differently with the rain and thaw we’re seeing?” If the answers are vague or don’t match our rules, that’s your cue to slow things down and reset the expectation on the spot.

Sean Ireland

I also wanna take a moment to recognize some positive leadership on the safety front. Each week, we highlight Regional Zone Safety Leaders, and last week’s group deserves a shout‑out. In New England, that was Jeffrey Staples. In the Hudson Zone, Thomas Schuler. Northern Zone, we had Michael Phillippe. Central East, that was Cory Warren. Central West, Joe Wyant. And in the Southern Zone, Eric Prewitt.

Sean Ireland

These folks are helping drive the safety message, reinforce expectations, and keep our people focused on the right things in their zones. None of this works without local leadership — the people who are out there every day doing briefings, asking questions, reviewing incidents, and making sure we learn from them. So Jeffrey, Thomas, Michael, Cory, Joe, Eric — thank you for what you’re doing, and keep pushing.

Sean Ireland

For everyone listening, think about how their efforts connect to our broader regional safety culture. It’s not about one big speech from me or one big call each week. It’s about daily habits: conducting thorough briefings, doing quality operational tests, coaching when you see a miss, and recognizing when people do it right. That’s how we change the trend line on shove moves, on switch handling, and on falls — one job, one test, one conversation at a time.

Sean Ireland

Let’s round things out by talking about cost, service, and some key priorities for the region as we close out the first quarter.

Sean Ireland

From a cost standpoint, February actually came in under budget overall for the region, which is good news. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. We still had three zones that were over budget, so there’s work to do, especially now that the worst of the winter weather is behind us. The main cost drivers are pretty consistent: overtime in road, yard, and local operations; recrews; and extra assignments. All of those are areas where discipline in planning and execution really pays off.

Sean Ireland

We also know that ITD — initial terminal delay — and line‑of‑road work events are adding cost and creating inefficiency. If we can reduce the amount of time trains are sitting at origin and minimize those unplanned work events out on the line, we’ll drive both cost and service improvements. March is gonna be a critical month. Each zone needs to focus on meeting or beating budget as we close out the quarter. The weather excuse is behind us now; this is where execution has to show up.

Sean Ireland

On the service side, our CSD performance — customer service delivery — is sitting at about 88% across the region. Some zones are actually under 85%. Our goal is 95% in each zone and for the region overall. So we’ve got a gap. A lot of that is tied to the winter weather we’ve just worked through, but again, that’s now in the rearview mirror. March is our opportunity to recover, clean up the network, and get our service metrics back where they need to be.

Sean Ireland

That means running the plan, reducing recrews, lining up power and crews correctly, and staying disciplined on local service. When we hit our service commitments, we tend to see cost performance improve as well — fewer surprises, fewer workarounds, and less overtime chasing yesterday’s problems. Safety, cost, and service all need to come back into alignment as we close out Q1 strong.

Sean Ireland

Now, a few key regional updates and dates I want everyone to keep on their radar. First, goals. Each manager’s goals need to be completed by Friday at 1600. That includes your team goals and your own personal development goals. We’re gonna have a job aid attached, and your Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents will be sharing those goals with the broader team early this week. The idea is alignment — making sure what you’re working on locally supports what we’re trying to accomplish regionally.

Sean Ireland

Don’t treat the goals as paperwork. Use them as a roadmap. If safety is our primary focus, how does your goal set reflect that? If we’re trying to improve CSD from 88% to 95%, where in your territory can you influence that? And on personal development, be honest about where you want to grow — whether that’s technical skills, leadership, or communication. That’s how we build bench strength and get better as a team.

Sean Ireland

The other important date this week is our Wednesday Safety Call at 1700. We’re doing a system‑wide Drone Day on Tuesday, and then we’ll have one MTO from each zone report out on that during the Wednesday call. I’m looking forward to hearing what you all see and learn from those drone inspections — whether it’s infrastructure issues, right‑of‑way concerns, or opportunities to reduce exposure in the field. Use that technology to help us find problems before they find us.

Sean Ireland

So to pull it all together: as we head into spring, we’ve got a clear safety focus on shove moves, switches, and falls — especially on that last move of the day. We’ve got an operational testing plan that backs that up, and regional safety leaders who are driving the culture in each zone. On cost and service, we’re coming out of a tough February with a chance to reset in March, hit our budgets, and close the gap to that 95% CSD goal.

Sean Ireland

I appreciate everything you’re doing out there — the long hours, the attention to detail, and the commitment to doing it safely. Let’s finish this month strong, keep each other accountable, and make sure every single person goes home in the same condition they came to work. We’ll keep the conversation going on our weekly calls and in future episodes. Until then, stay safe and stay focused.