First of two parts ATLANTA — No matter how you look at it, Mark George had an eventful first year at the helm of Norfolk Southern — even setting aside the historic deal to create the first transcontinental railroad through a merger with Union Pacific. George was named chief executive on Sept. 11, 2024, after CEO […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Port of Philadelphia has acquired a 152-acre rail yard adjacent to the port from Norfolk Southern, and will activate an existing intermodal transfer facility at the site. Acquisition of the Mustin Yard property is part of development plans outlined in the port’s recently released strategic plan looking ahead to 2040. The Philadelphia […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern’s handling of Norfolk Southern intermodal trains on the Meridian Speedway — their joint venture shortcut linking the Southeast with Texas and the Southwest — has deteriorated to the point that some customers are shifting freight to trucks, NS claims in a letter to federal regulators. CPKC disputes this, […]
Back in the day when railroads were squeezed under the thumb of the Interstate Commerce Commission and saddled with money-losing passenger service and dying branch lines, Class I railroads went through merger after merger to fend off financial collapse. The goal of those combinations was to eliminate duplicate routes, yards, shops, and headquarters in the […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s Digital Train Inspection (DTI) portals have been recognized in Fast Company’s 2025 Innovation by Design Awards, receiving an honorable mention in the Artificial Intelligence Design category. It’s the first time a railroad has earned a spot in the business technology magazine’s annual awards. “This recognition highlights how our innovation is transforming […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — A recent, brief update on the Norfolk Southern website — nsmakingitright.com — announced that the railroad has completed efforts to cleanup and restore the site of the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment and chemical release. Norfolk Southern did not issue a press release regarding the milestone, nor were any additional statements […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George first broached the possibility of a transcontinental merger during an otherwise routine phone call on Dec. 18, the railroads disclosed in a preliminary shareholder proxy filed on Tuesday. The proxy form provides a detailed timeline for their merger discussions, including the […]
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George say the interline partnerships that BNSF, CSX, and Canadian National have announced recently are proof that the proposed UP-NS merger will boost railroad competition. “Just the mere idea of having a transcontinental railroad has already enhanced competition … And I […]
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and Norfolk Southern today reached a settlement in the right of preference lawsuit the government brought last year regarding the railroad’s handling of Amtrak’s Crescent. The Justice Department — in only the second case of its kind since Amtrak was granted the right of preference in 1973 — had alleged […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway wants to date CSX — but has no interest in getting married. Five days after Union Pacific announced its $85 billion deal to acquire Norfolk Southern, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett and CEO designate Greg Abel told CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs that they would not bid for the Eastern railroad. […]
WASHINGTON — A Norfolk Southern train that derailed last month in Illinois — spilling hazardous materials and injuring two crewmen — occurred as the train rolled through a spring switch that had just undergone maintenance work, the National Transportation Board said today. Eastbound NS train 167 derailed at 5:44 p.m. on July 18 near Browns, […]
OMAHA, Neb. — The proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern transcontinental merger could lead to nearly 10% traffic growth by 2030 — a significant turnaround for railroads that have yet to rebound to their pre-pandemic volume levels. UP and NS did not provide traffic growth projections as part of their July 29 merger announcement. Rather, […]
