Norfolk Southern – Page 33

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

May 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

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 products. “The Empire Link provides our New York short line

Rail Network Could Face Major Congestion in Coming Decades

May 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

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 keep pace with economic growth and to meet DOT’s expecteddemand,

43 Rail Customers Earn Norfolk Southern’s Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award

May 27, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. has recognized the safety performance of 43 of its rail transportation customers with the Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award for 2007. The awards, given annually for 12 years, are presented to companies that ship more than 1,000 carloads of hazardous chemicals without incident. “These valued customers have set the example for safe handling of chemicals transported by rail,” said Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman. “Their record of zero incidents demonstrates their commitment to safety in the workplace and in the community. Norfolk Southern is pleased to recognize their accomplishments.” Customers earning the award for 2007 are: — Airgas Carbonic Inc. — Akzo Nobel

Norfolk Southern Receives First Uni-Level Railcars for Large Motor Vehicle Transport

May 21, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. has put into service the first of the new Uni-Level railcars supplied by TTX Company. Last week, Norfolk Southern loaded the first 13 of 55 Uni-Level cars received from TTX, officially launching the railroad’s Uni-Level service network. The fully enclosed Uni-Level railcar is designed to provide economical rail transportation of large motorized vehicles, including Class 5-8 trucks and recreational vehicles. Transporting these types of vehicles in a Uni-Level car helps ensure that the vehicles will arrive at their distributors in factory-quality condition and will not require re-work, as is typically the case with over-the-road transportation. Prototypes of the Uni-Level railcar have been tested successfully

Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern Create the Patriot Corridor to Improve Rail Service and Expand Capacity in New York and New England

May 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass. — Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern Railway have agreed to create an improved rail route between Albany, N.Y., and the greater Boston, Mass., area called the “Patriot Corridor.” Investments in the Patriot Corridor are expected to improve track quality and customer service, boost train speed and reliability, and increase capacity on the route. PAR and NS each will have a 50 percent interest in the newly formed railroad company, called “Pan Am Southern.” PAR has agreed to transfer to the joint venture its 155-mile main line track that runs between Mechanicville (Albany), N.Y., and Ayer, Mass., along with 281 miles of secondary and branch lines, including

NTSB: Inadequate Rail Inspection to Blame for 2006 NS Derailment

May 13, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern Railroad’s inadequate rail inspection and maintenance program resulted in a rail fracture from an undetected internal defect, which is to blame for an October 2006 derailment. 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. On Oct. 20, 2006, a Norfolk Southern freight train (68QB119), en route from the Chicago area to Sewaren, N.J., derailed while crossing the Beaver River railroad bridge in New Brighton, P.a. The train consisted of a three-unit locomotive pulling three empty freight cars and 83 tank cars loaded with 660,952 gallons of denatured ethanol. Twenty-three of

Balanced Traffic Mix Drives Success, Moorman Tells Stockholders at Annual Meeting

May 8, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — A balanced mix of traffic has enabled Norfolk Southern to post solid financial and operating performance in spite of softness in the housing and automotive markets, said Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman during the company’s 26th annual stockholders meeting, held in Norfolk, Va. “Our results speak volumes for something that we talk about all the time – the strength of our balanced portfolio of business,” Moorman said. “We’re really seeing two different economies out there in that a large component of our business is very healthy. Our agricultural business and anything having to do with commodities are very strong, along with coal, steel, metals, and some other

STB Makes Rail Revenue Adequacy Determination for 2006

May 6, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON –Three Class I railroads, the BNSF Railway Co., the Norfolk Southern Railway Co., and the Soo Line Railroad Co. (a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway Co., were revenue adequate for 2006. All other Class I freight railroads were found to be revenue inadequate for that year. The Surface Transportation Board made its determinations of revenue adequacy for the seven Class I freight railroads (the Nation’s largest) for 2006. A railroad is considered to be revenue adequate if it achieves a rate of return on net investment (ROI) equal to at least the current cost of capital (i.e., the cost of borrowing) for that railroad. Congress directed the Board to

DOJ Sues NS Over Graniteville Derailment

April 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Justice filed an environmental lawsuit suit against Norfolk Southern Railway, three years after a fatal derailment in Graniteville, S.C. The Department of Justice is seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief under the Clean Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. On Jan. 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train encountered an “improperly lined” switch, and the train diverted from the main line onto an industry track. There, it struck an unoccupied, parked train. Among the derailed cars were three tank cars containing chlorine, one of which was breached, releasing chlorine gas. The train engineer and eight other

Norfolk Southern Reports First-Quarter 2008 Results

April 22, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first quarter of 2008, Norfolk Southern Corporation reported net income of $291 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared with $285 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter 2008 results were impacted by the settlement of a lawsuit relating to the 2005 accident at Graniteville, S.C., which, when combined with other favorable claims-related adjustments, reduced earnings by $0.02 per diluted share. “Norfolk Southern delivered strong financial performance during the quarter, reporting the highest railway operating revenues in its history, in spite of a less than robust economy,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “The results clearly indicate the strength