Like a Penny on the Tracks

Railroading in the United States has changed dramatically in the last five years. This is largely due to the arrival of E.Hunter Harrison as the Chief Executive Officer at CSX Transportation in 2017. Earlier, Harrison had drastically changed the way Canadian railroads operated, and soon brought his operating plan, known as Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) to the Jacksonville, Florida rail giant. Harrison’s arrival inaugurated an era of unprecedented economic profits along Wall Street while causing widespread suffering and upheaval in communities dependent upon the railroad for their economic livelihood. The disruption caused by Harrison’s methods in the railroad industry will be felt for many years to come across the American landscape.