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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Harnesses Sustainable Wind Energy

NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Nov. 13, Norfolk Southern completed the installation of a 50 kilowatt wind turbine at its rail yard in North Kansas City to power the yard’s wastewater treatment plant. The wind turbine consists of three 24-foot rotor blades mounted on a 100-foot tower and is estimated to generate more than 100,000 kilowatt hours annually. “The North Kansas City wind turbine is the second of its kind on Norfolk Southern, and continues our efforts to promote and incorporate sustainable business practices,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, vice president safety and environmental. “We will continue to explore renewable energy

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Norfolk Southern

STB Issues EA for Pan Am Southern

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced that its Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) has issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) for public review and comment. The EA related to a proposal by the Norfolk Southern Railway Co., Pan Am Railways Inc. (a noncarrier holding company), and two of Pan Am’s railroad subsidiaries, the Boston and Maine Corp. and the Springfield Terminal Railway Co., to acquire and to jointly control and own, Pan Am Southern LLC, a new railroad to be formed. Earlier this year, Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern Railway announced that they agreed to create an improved rail

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Named One of Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. has been named one of the nation’s best employers for people with military experience. G.I. Jobs magazine ranked Norfolk Southern among the top 50 military-friendly companies for 2008. The annual list recognizes companies that have made the greatest effort and had the greatest success in hiring military veterans, and that have the best policies for Reserve and Guard members called to active duty. This is the third time Norfolk Southern has earned a spot on the list. Norfolk Southern actively recruits people with military backgrounds for careers in railroad operations and management. During 2008,

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Moves Record Coal Tonnage in Third Quarter 2008

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern hauled 49.67 million tons of coal in the third quarter of 2008, an all-time quarterly high driven by strong export demand and more shipments of domestic metallurgical coal. Third-quarter 2008 coal tonnage increased 6 percent, up from 46.84 million tons during the same period last year. The previous record for any quarter was 49.27 million tons in second quarter 2008. Even as it handles record coal amounts, Norfolk Southern has reduced the transit time of shipments over major coal lanes, with an 8.8 percent improvement for the first nine months of 2008. “Faster transit times

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Reports Record Third-Quarter 2008 Results

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corporation reported third-quarter 2008 net income of $520 million, or $1.37 per diluted share, compared with $386 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, for the same period of 2007. Third-quarter income from railway operations increased 31 percent to a record $894 million. “Our third quarter performance again demonstrates the strength of our diversified traffic base. We are also continuing to provide the high-quality service our customers require in this difficult economic environment,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. Third-quarter railway operating revenues were $2.9 billion, up 23 percent compared with the same period a year

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Norfolk Southern

Lowcountry Open Land Trust, Norfolk Southern, and Neighbors Protect Rural Lands

CHARLESTON, S.C. — More of South Carolina’s coastal plain near Charleston, containing some of the most important ecosystems in the U.S., will be protected permanently from development. The Lowcountry Open Land Trust (LOLT) said Thursday that it is protecting an additional 10 properties, totaling more than 2,500 acres, in the upper Edisto River Basin and Four Holes Swamp watershed. The properties include the donation to LOLT of a conservation easement on 154 acres from the Grooms- Hoover family of Berkeley County and the protection of 428 acres of mostly wetlands by restrictive covenants with the Army Corps of Engineers. These

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Issues Its First Sustainability Report

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. has issued its first sustainability report, describing what the company says is its commitment to responsible economic, environmental and social performance. The report, which the company plans to issue annually, is posted on Norfolk Southern’s environmental Web site at http://www.nscorp.com/footprints. Through narrative, metrics, and profiles of employees who are making a difference, the 56-page report documents Norfolk Southern’s sustainability progress. Its content is modeled after the sustainability reporting guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative, NS said. In a letter introducing the report, Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern chairman, president, and chief executive officer, said, “Our

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BNSF

House Approves Rail Safety Bill; Billions to go to Passenger Rail

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives has approved legislation that proponents say will improve the Nation’s intercity passenger rail system and the safety of the nation’s railroads. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington’s Metro transit system. The legislation sets “an aggressive deadline” of 2015 for implementation of positive train control (PTC)

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BNSF

Hurricane Ike Causes Rail Freight Downturn

WASHINGTON —  Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off sharply during the week ended September 20 in comparison with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported. Much of the decline can be attributed to disruptions caused by Hurricane Ike which struck the Gulf Coast Sept. 13. Total volume was estimated at 32.8 billion ton-miles, down 6.8 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight in the week totaled 312,662 cars, off 7.8 percent from last year. Volume was down 10.4 percent in the West and 4.3 percent in the East. Intermodal volume, which is

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Norfolk Southern

Michael D. Lockhart Elected to Norfolk Southern Board

NORFOLK, Va. — Michael D. Lockhart, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Armstrong World Industries Inc., has been elected a director of Norfolk Southern Corp., Chairman and CEO Wick Moorman announced. Lockhart joined Armstrong in 2000. Prior to that, he was chairman and chief executive officer of General Signal Corporation from 1995 until it was acquired in 1998. He joined General Signal as president and chief operating officer in 1994. From 1981 until 1994, Lockhart worked for General Electric Company in various executive capacities in GE Capital, GE Transportation Systems, and GE Aircraft Engines. Lockhart holds a master’s degree