USE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING BY A RAILROAD

This presentation reviews some of the Strategic Planning processes that Conrail has successfully used. Importantly, the Northeast Rail Services Act (NERSA) modified the external environment in several ways so that management could focus on controlling internal and free market factors and events. The goal was clear. Earn a profit in 1982 and 1983 to establish a track record as a viable railroad. In striving to attain that goal, clear objectives were set up, including: minimum profit levels over an initial two year period; no more federal infusion of funding (except for pass-through of specific labor entitlements stated in the NERSA Act to be federal government responsibility, yet managed by Conrail); wage and salary restrictions for both management and agreement people; physical plant restructuring and reduction; continued capital investment program to increase productivity, efficiency and service; changes in services and rates allowed by the Staggers Act; and overall responsiveness to market and economic conditions.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trcircular/294/294-004.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00978515
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Transportation Research Circular N294, Strategic Planning for Freight: Issues and Research Needs. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Opitz, R B
• Publication Date: 1985-9

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: p. 7-8
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Circular
  • Issue Number: 294
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0097-8515

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Businesses; Deregulation; Economic development; Financial capital; Freight transportation; Planning; Productivity; Railroads; Salaries; Strategic planning; Wages
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00451423
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 27 2004 9:58PM