Norfolk Southern – Page 36

FRA: New Era of Rail Safety with Approval of First Positive Train Control System

January 9, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The first Positive Train Control (PTC) system capable of automatically controlling train speed and movements to prevent certain accidents, including train collisions has been approved. “This is a major achievement that marks the beginning of a new era of rail safety,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “The steps FRA and railroads are taking show that applying PTC technology can work and will provide important safety benefits.” In 2005, FRA revised federal signal and train control regulations to facilitate and enable development and deployment of PTC technology, Boardman said. Specifically, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approved the

Two Years Since Fatal Graniteville Wreck

January 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Today marks the two-year anniversary of a fatal train wreck here. On Jan. 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train encountered an improperly lined switch that diverted the train from the main line onto an industry track where 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 people died as a result of chlorine gas inhalation. Nine people were killed in the derailment and hundreds more were evacuated because of spilled chemicals. — Railfanning.org

Norfolk Southern Agrees to Settlement in Graniteville Lawsuit

December 26, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. – Norfolk Southern is asking a federal judge to approve a class settlement to a lawsuit filed after a Jan. 6, 2005, derailment that left nine people dead. The Norfolk, Va. -based company filed a motion in South Carolina federal court proposing a settlement that “would provide varying levels of compensation for people who were injured and who received medical treatment or were hospitalized as a result of the derailment and subsequent release of chlorine,” the railroad said in a news release. On Jan. 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train encountered an improperly lined switch

Norfolk Southern Announces Planned 2007 Capital Spending

December 11, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to spend $1.34 billion in 2007 for capital improvements to its railroad operations and subsidiaries, the company announced. “Our capital budget reflects our commitment to maintain a safe and vibrant rail system to meet the continuing strong demand we anticipate in 2007 and beyond,” said Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman. “We will continue to invest in the infrastructure, equipment and technology necessary to provide the best possible service to our customers.” The anticipated spending includes $884 million for roadway projects, $401 million for equipment and $55 million for small projects and real estate.

Veterans Welcome as Rail Industry Hires 80,000 Employees; Major Railroads Cited as Top Military-Friendly Employers

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The nation’s four largest railroads have all made the list of “Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers” as determined by GI Jobs magazine. The railroad industry is creating 80,000 American jobs over the next six years, and is one of the few industries that doesn’t outsource its jobs or facilities overseas. Thousands of those being hired are former military personnel, including both officers and enlisted personnel. The jobs they perform cross the entire spectrum of railroading, from locomotive engineers to conductors to civil engineers to information technology to marketing. “Today, railroads are going through a hiring boom as more and

NTSB Probes Pa. Derailment

October 21, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW BRIGHTON, Pa. – National Transportation Safety Board investigators are at the scene of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment near New Brighton, a city about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The derailment occurred about 10:40 p.m. yesterday. In the wreck, about two dozen of the train’s 83 tank cars carrying ethanol derailed and fell off a bridge. No one was injured in the crash, but about nine of the cars caught fire, according to published reports. About 50 people were displaced because of the derailment. “I actually felt the explosion at my house. It was like lightning struck in

Norfolk Southern’s Shelocta Secondary Opens for Business

August 3, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA – Norfolk Southern Corp. today announced that the first train will run on the new Shelocta Secondary on Monday (Aug. 7), culminating a five-year, $44 million project The line establishes a direct rail connection from Norfolk Southern’s Conemaugh Line in Saltsburg, Pa., to the coal-powered Keystone Generating Station in Shelocta, Pa. “The Shelocta Secondary is a new link in our network providing the Keystone Generating Station with an efficient direct connection to western Pennsylvania coal fields served by Norfolk Southern,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s chief executive officer. “Norfolk Southern’s investment in this project underscores our commitment to improving

Norfolk Southern Names Thelen and Heilig to Operations Positions

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. named two people to key positions in its operations division, effective Aug. 1, 2006. Gerhard A. Thelen has been named vice president operations planning and support, headquartered in Norfolk. He will be responsible for the corporation’s operations planning, policies, budgets, research and tests and quality management functions. He has a masters degree from Pennsylvania State University and graduated from the Fachhochschule Munich (university for applied sciences). Thelen joined Norfolk Southern in 1977 and served in quality, engineering, research, and mechanical positions before being named vice president mechanical in 2004. Tim A. Heilig has been

STB Releases Fall Peak Service Plans

July 26, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released letters from Class I railroads outlining their “peak season” service plans. In June, Chairman W. Douglas Buttrey sent letters to the chief executive officers of the seven largest railroads and to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), asking the railroads to inform the STB of their plans to ascertain the demand for, and to prepare for, the provision of peak-season service; their performance goals for the remainder of 2006 and their plans for achieving those goals; and their plans to communicate their service goals and plans with customers. In

Flames Reported After Ala. Wreck

January 18, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

LINCOLN, Ala. – Two Norfolk Southern trains, including one that was carrying sodium cyanide, collided Jan. 18 near a Honda plant, causing a "massive" fire, WXIA-TV reported on its Web site. Flames as tall as 60 feet were reported after one train was rear-ended by another, according to reports. Three injuries were reported as a result of the wreck, according to the WXIA-TV report. About 500 people living within two miles of the crash were evacuated, the television station reported. Service on Norfolk Southern’s line between Birmingham, Ala., and Meridian, Miss., was restored a day earlier following a Jan. 16