Question On NS Auto-Scheduler

[NSSpike]

Over the last week I have heard the NS Alabama "East End" dispatcher in communication with train crews, make reference to the "Auto-Scheduler".  From what I can gather, this scheduler is determining where 'meets' will occur and lines the turnouts at sidings accordingly for the meet. In three instances the "Auto-Schedulers' calculations were off  a good bit and trains were forced to hold a siding when they could have continued on to the next siding or two, in plenty of time. The most recent occurrence was Saturday morning involving Amtrak 19 that was running some two hours late out of Atlanta, thus causing two east bounders to hold sidings, both blocking road crossing for extended periods. From the sound of things there is little the dispatchers can do?

Since I have been out of the loop a few years here, can anyone bring me up to date on this "Auto-Scheduler". Is this something that has been around a while and used system wide? Or part of the Positive Train Control system? In advance thanks for any input.

[Full Service]

Otto has spread to the South eh?  My heart goes out to the people down there. 

What you are talking about is the GE Movement planner, and Auto-Router (Otto) which is meant to take away the human side of dispatching. Basically, Otto runs the RR and the human in the chair answers the phone and tells the trains just how bad they are fixing to get screwed on the radio while being threatened with termination if they do anything to override the system.. It has been in use here on the Central Div for over a year now, and we have seen overtime and re-crews skyrocket, and train performance plummet.

The ONLY people that will say OTTO is a good idea is the ones the made it and the ones who bought it.  We have had some lively discussion on the Central Div board about this bad joke.  Take a look at this thread. http://www.jreb.org/ns/index.php?topic=13001.0

[NSSpike]

Full Service, thanks for the reply and link to a very good thread that explained it quite well from many in the know. I will say the I did hear both Auto-Scheduler and Auto-Router terms used. And by the way, on the scanner this morning I heard the Piedmont Division , Greenville dispatcher tell a north bound out of Atlanta.." You are loaded in the Auto-Router." So yes, it does appear that the system has moved to the south.
Again thanks for responding and directing me to a great thread that was worth reading!!
NSSpike