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Norfolk Southern

NTSB Hands Down Three Recommendations in 2006 Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board this week handed down a trio of recommendations in response to a January 2006 Norfolk Southern derailment that injured three people and caused more than $5 million in property damage. First, the NTSB recommended that Class I Railroads “modify, as necessary, your initial and recurrent training and operating rules to emphasize to your employees and the crews of other railroads operating on your territory that any signal that appears to display extra lighted aspects in a signal head should be treated as an improperly or imperfectly displayed signal.” Next, the NTSB recommended that Norfolk Southern

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BNSF

U.S. Class I Railroads Dominate Top 25 in List of Military-Friendly Employers

WASHINGTON — America’s freight rail industry dominated the fifth annual America’s Top 50 “Military Friendly-Employers” list published by G.I. Jobs, the nation’s premier career guide for military job-seekers. The magazine named four Class I freight railroads in the top half of the most military-friendly employers for 2007, selecting BNSF Railway as the No. 1 employer of military personnel. Also making the list were Union Pacific, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. “The nation’s freight railroads maintain a strong commitment to the men and women who serve our country,” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads.

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern to Pay $7.35 Million to Restore McKean, Cameron County Waterways; Settle 2006 Train Derailment Case

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Waterways and wetlands in McKean and Cameron counties that were damaged in a June 2006 lye spill will benefit from a landmark settlement between the commonwealth, Norfolk Southern Corp. and Norfolk Southern Railway. “We negotiated long and hard to reach this point, keeping in mind the environmental and economic injuries that this region suffered as a result of the spill,” DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said today in announcing the agreement. “This settlement will help heal the ecosystem and provide the needed resources for nearby communities.” A large part of the $7.35 million settlement — approximately $6.76

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Begins Work on Heartland Corridor Tunnels

NORFOLK, Va. — Heavy machinery grinds away brick, concrete and solid rock as a railroad tunnel near Cowan, Va., gets its roof raised to accommodate taller trains. This is the beginning of a three-year engineering project to increase intermodal freight capacity by raising vertical clearances in 28 tunnels on a Norfolk Southern rail line between the port of Hampton Roads, Va., and Chicago known as the Heartland Corridor. The first phase of the tunnel work began in October. When the project is completed in early 2010, containerized freight moving in double-stack trains will be able to shave off about 200

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Utilizes Wind to Power Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ohio

BELLEVUE, Ohio – Norfolk Southern is erecting a 50 kilowatt wind turbine at its Bellevue Yard in Ohio to power the yard’s wastewater treatment plant. Construction of the turbine is expected to begin in November and be complete by the end of the year. This is one of the first times wind has been used to provide power to a railroad facility in the U.S. “Norfolk Southern is assessing opportunities to utilize alternative renewable energy sources where practical,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, vice president safety and environmental. “We are confident that the wind turbine at Bellevue Yard will be an immediate

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Norfolk Southern

NS Ends ‘The Joint Section’

Norfolk Southern will terminate its 109-year operating agreement in Ontario, Canada, known today as “The Joint Section.” NS will offer interline rail service for these customers at interchange points in the U.S. for business to/from the following locations in Ontario, Canada: Chatham, Ft. Erie, Thamesville, Walkerville, Welland, Windsor, Niagara Falls, and Port Robinson.  NS will continue to participate in joint line business opportunities with our Class I and short line partners located in Ontario. — Special to Railfanning.org News Wire

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Reports Third-Quarter 2007 Results

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) reported third-quarter 2007 net income of $386 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, compared with $416 million, or $1.02 per diluted share, for the same period of 2006. Results included the effects of Illinois tax legislation enacted during the third quarter of 2007 that reduced net income by $19 million, or $0.05 per diluted share. “Norfolk Southern continued to deliver solid results in the third quarter,” said CEO Wick Moorman. “Softness in certain segments of the economy resulted in reduced traffic volumes, which we were substantially able to offset through pricing gains

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BNSF

FRA: Nation’s First Freight Train Equipped with New, Safer Brake Technology Begins Operations

WASHINGTON — The first train fully equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake technology began hauling coal today in southwestern Pennsylvania under a waiver approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. Norfolk Southern Railway is the first railroad to operate revenue service trains equipped with ECP brakes under the waiver, Boardman said. BNSF Railway also received waiver approval and is expected to operate trains with the new, safer brake technology before the end of 2007. “These railroads understand using ECP brake technology can bring significant safety and business benefits, and I encourage other railroads to

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Norfolk Southern

NS Reports State Tax Legislation, Synthetic Fuel Investments Effects On Third-Quarter Earnings

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) announced that Illinois tax legislation enacted during the third quarter and rising crude oil prices that impacted synthetic fuel-related investments will have a negative impact on third-quarter net income that will be reported at a quarterly analyst conference call on Oct. 24. Third quarter 2007 diluted earnings per share are expected to be $0.97, or approximately 5 percent below the same quarter 2006. The Illinois legislation modifies the way in which transportation companies apportion their taxable income to the state. This change will result in an adjustment to Norfolk Southern’s deferred income

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Kansas City Southern

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Offer On-Time or Free Service Guarantee on New Coast-To-Coast Westbound Intermodal Service through Shreveport

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railway have announced new westbound intermodal train service that will shorten by a day the trip for standard intermodal freight from the Southeast to Los Angeles. The eastbound service was launched in May 2007. The new coast-to-coast service is part of the railroads’ commitment to improve capacity, service quality and speed by shifting domestic traffic to a new, shorter route over the Shreveport, La., gateway. This shift began with the completion of the first phase of improvements on the Meridian Speedway – NS and Kansas City Southern’s joint venture corridor between Meridian,