IRONDALE, Ala. — Doug Karhan, who was master mechanic of steam for Norfolk Southern from 1982 to the close of excursions in 1994, has died. Karhan, who began as a volunteer, became assistant to the late Bill Purdie. He died Thursday, those close to him tell Trains News Wire. No other details were immediately available. […]
Railroad: Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern opens new headquarters
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has opened its new headquarters building in Atlanta following a Wednesday ceremony featuring Gov. Brian Kemp, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, NS employees, and city civic and business leaders. The 750,000-square-foot building is on a 3.4-acre campus in Tech Square, featuring two glass towers connected with a campus-style hub; […]
Analysis: Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has all the right stuff
The proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern – the first combination of Class I systems in two decades, and likely the last – should win favor in Washington. After all, their comprehensive merger application checks all of the Surface Transportation Board’s boxes. More rail competition? Canadian Pacific Kansas City has that in […]
CSX, NS say Gulf Coast passenger service would ‘devastate’ freight operations (updated)
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern say addition of Amtrak trains along the Gulf Coast would cause a “systematic failure” in their ability to provide freight service, based on traffic modeling, and would “devastate first-mile last-mile service to freight customers in the region,” according to a filing with the Surface Transportation Board. But while […]
FRA letter warns Norfolk Southern about conductor training, safety deficiencies
WASHINGTON — Citing a string of recent train-service employee accidents involving injury or maiming, the Federal Railroad Administration last week again warned Norfolk Southern about deficiencies in its conductor-certification program. In an Oct. 28 letter to CEO James Squires, FRA Deputy Administrator Amit Bose wrote that “NS has had five conductors/brakemen suffer amputations and crushing […]
Ohio blocked-crossing bill would levy fines starting at $5,000
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio state legislator has introduced legislation that would fine railroads $5,000 or more for blocking grade crossings for more than 5 minutes “to the hindrance of traffic.” The Butler County Journal-News reports state Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township, Ohio) said House Bill 361 is designed “to get the railroads’ attention,” with […]
Two unions sue Norfolk Southern over labor dispute
CLEVELAND — Two unions are suing Norfolk Southern over labor practices, seeking an injunction against what they say is a railroad practice of forcing locomotive engineers to work as conductors and disciplining those who don’t. The Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Union-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Lomocotive Engineers and Trainmen announced Thursday they […]
Norfolk Southern warns that COVID-19 vaccine mandate poses risks to service (updated)
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires warned today that the railroad’s train crew shortages may be exacerbated by the federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate that takes effect on Dec. 8. Like CSX Transportation, NS is experiencing higher than normal attrition among its train crews and is having trouble hiring new conductors due to the […]
Norfolk Southern reports record earnings, but crew shortages affect service levels
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern set third-quarter records for revenue, profits, and operating ratio despite flat traffic volume, but a shortage of train crews and ongoing supply chain issues had an impact on the railroad’s service levels. Operating income surged 21%, to $1.1 billion, as revenue grew 14%, to $2.9 billion, NS reported today. Earnings per […]
Norfolk Southern to donate Southern Railway archives
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is donating the archives of predecessor Southern Railway to the Atlanta History Center as NS prepares to mark the opening of its new Atlanta headquarters. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the archives include hundreds of thousands of pages of correspondence, more than 20,000 photographs, reports, plans, and minute books. The donation […]
NS enacts vaccine mandate, sues to preempt union action
CHICAGO — Norfolk Southern will require its workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and has filed a lawsuit in an effort to block legal action by unions representing employees. Reuters reports the railroad filed the suit in a federal court in Chicago on Thursday, arguing that union objection to the mandate must be addressed through […]
STB sets new schedule for Amtrak Gulf Coast case
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted a new extension for the process of addressing Amtrak’s request to require CSX and Norfolk Southern to allow passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — while cautioning that it will not look favorably on further efforts to delay the process. Amtrak filed the request in […]
