NS expands interchange improvement program to all short line connections

Train with two black locomotives on spur

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has expanded its interchange improvement program to all of its short line connections in a bid to boost carload volume growth. NS sought to improve interchange consistency and reliability when it launched its Short Line Performance Project with 40 short lines last year. “It led to just absolutely above normal growth […]

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What cliff? J.B. Hunt and Eastern and Canadian railways see steady intermodal volume

NEW YORK – The reduction in U.S.-bound shipments from China after steep tariffs were imposed in April has yet to show up in J.B. Hunt’s intermodal volumes. “Our volumes have been steady,” J.B. Hunt Intermodal President Darren Field told an investor conference on Tuesday. Importers rushed to beat tariff deadlines earlier this year, then paused […]

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Railroad executives question whether a transcontinental merger could clear regulatory hurdles

Orange locomotive on freight train

NEW YORK – Executives from Canadian National, CPKC, CSX, and Norfolk Southern poured cold water on talk about potential Class I railroad mergers during an investment conference this week. Mergers have become a hot topic in some railroad boardrooms in recent months amid stagnant rail volume, revenue, and stock prices. Some see a U.S. transcontinental […]

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NS resumes service to Asheville, N.C., and sets sights on restoring Old Fort Loops line

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern resumed service last month between Asheville, N.C., and points west for the first time since Hurricane Helene devastated the AS Line in September. The railroad’s rebuilding efforts now will turn to restoring its line between Old Fort and Grovestone, N.C., which includes the historic Old Fort Loops, NS said today. NS […]

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NS and Justice Department remain in settlement talks over Amtrak Crescent case

Amtrak train under sunny skies at a train station.

WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern and the Justice Department remain in settlement talks over the railroad’s handling of Amtrak’s Crescent. The Justice Department hauled NS to federal court in July, contending that NS regularly fails to give the Crescent preference over freight trains, leading to delays that harm and inconvenience passengers, impede passenger rail transportation, and […]

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New York man sentenced to prison for setting fire on railroad tracks

U.S. Department of Justice seal

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 34-year-old Buffalo man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for setting a fire on Norfolk Southern tracks, destroying trackside equipment. Michael B. Benitez was convicted of an attempt to wreck, derail, set fire to, or disable railroad on-track equipment for the incident in June 14, 2023. A press release […]

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Funding released for completion of Springfield, Ill., rail project

Illustration of new Springfield, Ill., train and bus station

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has obligated more than $157 million in funding, allowing construction to move forward on the final phase of the Springfield (Ill.) Rail Improvements Project. The project involves relocating some rail lines from Third Street to 10th Street in the state capital, as well as several grade-crossing separations. The […]

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Some Class I railroads take a fresh look at mergers

It’s been two years since CPKC CEO Keith Creel drove the ceremonial final spike at Knoche Yard in Kansas City to celebrate the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The symbolic event marked what rail executives, regulators, and analysts all expected would be the last merger involving two Class I railroads. But now […]

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Norfolk Southern revives Alabama coal branch

A moribund Norfolk Southern coal-hauling branch in Alabama last month hosted its first train in more than a decade. NS coal train 702 rumbled over the revived Berry Branch, carrying Warrior steelmaking coal to export at the Port of Mobile, Ala., via the railroad’s 3-B Corridor. “Right now it is one train a week, and […]

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Rapido HO MOW flat and camp cars

Color photo of HO scale flatcar painted gray with white-and-silver van

Rapido HO MOW flat and camp cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single camp car, $69.95; three-pack (diner, kitchen, and office vans), $199.95; and six-pack (sleeper vans), $399.95. Separate sale camp trailers (dining, kitchen, office, and sleeper), $24.95 each. Conrail F30A MOW flatcar with deck rails: Single car, $54.95; six-pack, $329.70. Era: 1980s to present Manufacturer: […]

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NS starts scholarship program to attract skilled trade workers

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern has launched a Trades on Track scholarship program to help the railroad attract vocational students to its workforce. The $5,000 scholarships can be used for tuition, computer equipment, tools, and other expenses for people living in any one of the 22 states that NS serves. Atlanta-based SkillPointe Foundation is overseeing the […]

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Norfolk Southern and Port of Virginia team up for green shipping corridor

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern and the Port of Virginia have launched a RailGreen Corridor that offers intermodal customers a verified way to reduce supply chain emissions. NS provides daily intermodal service in the corridor linking Norfolk Harbor with the Virginia Inland Port (VIP) in Front Royal, Va. Freight moving along this lane is now […]

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