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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Foundation Awards $2.2 Million in First Half of 2008

NORFOLK, Va.  — Norfolk Southern Foundation — the charitable giving affiliate of Norfolk Southern Corporation — awarded grants worth nearly $2.2 million to nonprofit charitable organizations during the first half of 2008. The grants included $721,615 in employee and retiree matching gifts in support of 334 organizations. Grants other than matching gifts went to 104 organizations throughout Norfolk Southern’s operating territory. Excluding matching gifts, the Foundation contributed to various United Way campaigns and other health and human services nonprofits ($516,000), educational institutions ($301,800), cultural and arts groups ($525,750), and civic and community groups, including environmental organizations ($128,815). Of the $2.2

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Norfolk Southern

Lowcountry Open Land Trust Announces Largest Conservation Gift in South Carolina History

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Some of the most ecologically significant land in the U.S. will be protected permanently from development through a conservation easement donated by Norfolk Southern to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. The easement is thought to be one of the largest in the Southeast and the largest ever by a corporation in South Carolina. Norfolk Southern, through two subsidiaries, has granted an easement on 12,488 acres of its Brosnan Forest timber and wildlife preserve near Dorchester, S.C., 35 miles northwest of Charleston. The property is near the 15,000-acre Francis Beidler Forest, which is owned and operated by the

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Norfolk Southern

NS: NTSB Determination Concerning 2006 Train Accident is Faulty

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Railway Co. says it strongly disagrees with the National Transportation Safety Board’s determination of probable cause contained in its Accident Report released today for the New Brighton, Pa., derailment. The NTSB found that an Oct. 20, 2006, derailment was caused by an “inadequate rail inspection and maintenance program,” and contributing to the accident was the Federal Railroad Administration’s inadequate oversight of the internal rail inspection process and its insufficient requirements for internal rail inspection. But, Norfolk Southern said its rail inspection and maintenance program complies with all applicable regulations, and even the NTSB concedes that

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Reports Record Results; Net Income Increases 15 Percent

NORFOLK, Va. — For the second quarter of 2008, Norfolk Southern Corp. reported record net income of $453 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, compared with $394 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, for the same period of 2007. Second-quarter railway operating revenues were a record $2.8 billion, up 16 percent compared with the second quarter of 2007. “Norfolk Southern delivered record financial results during the quarter, reporting continuing strength in our coal, agriculture, and metals markets,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “Looking ahead, our franchise should continue to benefit from a broad and balanced customer base as well

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Norfolk Southern

Sen. Joe Bruno Announces Plans for $40 Million Rail Logistics Center in Saratoga Co., N.Y.

MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. — State Senator Joe Bruno, R-Brunswick, has announced that a new intermodal and automotive rail logistics center will be constructed at the former rail yard located within the towns of Halfmoon, Mechanicville, and Stillwater. This new rail terminal will anchor the western end of Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor, which will be a high-speed freight rail route between the Capitol Region and the Boston area once track and signal improvements are complete. Construction of the $40 million facility is expected to begin in the first quarter 2009 and be complete by April 2010. “As soaring energy costs have

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Canadian National

2007: A Strong Year For Railroad Safety

WASHINGTON — Last year was another strong year for safety on the nation’s railroads, with records being set in two key safety measurements while a third fell just shy of setting a record. “Over the years, the railroad industry has developed a strong safety culture,” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) at the annual E.H. Harriman Awards luncheon which honors railroads with the best employee safety records for the previous year. “Last year the train accident rate was the lowest in history,” he said. “So was the grade crossing accident rate. The

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Norfolk Southern

Eastman Chemical Recognizes Norfolk Southern With Innovation Award

NORFOLK, Va. — Eastman Chemical Company has awarded Norfolk Southern Corporation its 2007 Global Logistics Supplier Innovation Award. The award recognizes Norfolk Southern for the development and implementation of a new process for delivering coal to Eastman’s Kingsport, Tenn., chemical manufacturing plant. Norfolk Southern’s creative redesign of its service plan for the plant resulted in significant improvements in delivery schedules, consistency of operations, and efficiency for both Eastman and Norfolk Southern. “Norfolk Southern’s work in improving our coal handling delivery process exemplifies the purpose of the Innovation Award,” said Terry Begley, Eastman Chemical vice president, global supply chain and quality.

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Legislation

Norfolk Southern Names Voyack to Government Relations Post

WASHINGTON — Frank Voyack has been named Norfolk Southern Corp.’s government relations director. Headquartered in Washington, Voyack will be responsible for lobbying Congress, coordinating government relations programs and policies and implementing legislative strategies. He will report to Marque I. Ledoux, assistant vice president government relations — federal. Voyack started his work on Capitol Hill in the office of Congressman Norman Sisisky of Virginia before moving to the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers, where he spent 18 years in various legislative positions. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and Georgetown University. “Frank’s breadth of experience

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern and 10 Short Line Railroads Create Short-Haul Rail Options in New York and Beyond

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. and 10 New York-based short line railroads have created a program to convert short-haul truck movements to rail. The “Empire Link” allows the short line railroads to market the excess rail freight capacity on NS’ Southern Tier main line between Binghamton and Silver Springs, N.Y., as well as on branch lines between Corning and Geneva, and between Waverly and Ludlowville. “With the high price of diesel fuel, the Empire Link is an attractive option for shippers currently trucking freight in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” said David Lawson, Norfolk Southern’s vice president industrial

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Amtrak

Rail Network Could Face Major Congestion in Coming Decades

WASHINGTON — Congestion on the nation’s rail network is expected to increase over the next two decades and could eventually pose a major problem, members of Congress warned. Since deregulation of the freight railroad industry in 1980, Class 1 freight ton-miles have increased 93 percent, while miles of track have decreased 40 percent, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., said. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the demand for rail freight transportation will increase 88 percent by 2035, and their studies estimate that an investment of $148 billion in infrastructure expansion will be needed over the ext 28 years to