Railroad News

Norfolk Southern Railway today announced the official launch of TOP|SPG, the Class I's latest operating plan designed to improve service, enhance productivity and create a platform for growth.

The plan builds on previous Thoroughbred Operating Plans (TOP) with goals for service, productivity and growth (SPG), NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway will provide rail service to the Middle Georgia Megasite, which the state and Peach County Development Authority purchased through a partnership.

The 1,100-acre site is located adjacent to Georgia Highway 96, with access to Interstate 75. Rail service will be provided by NS on the north side, plus an additional rail line on the west side. Both the ports of Savannah and Brunswick can be reached via rail in less than five hours, authority officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. officials yesterday rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to mark 40 years since the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway created Norfolk Southern Railway on June 1, 1982.

Joining NS President and CEO Alan Shaw and the NS senior executive team on the NYSE bell podium were six craft railroaders from the company’s operating division.

Norfolk Southern Railway will deliver long-term value to shareholders by becoming more customer-centric and operations-driven, President and CEO Alan Shaw said at the company's annual meeting held last week.

“My first priority, and the top priority of every member of the Norfolk Southern team, is to restore service to the quality our customers expect and deserve,” said Shaw in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday reported on projects funded by $500 million in green bonds the company issued in 2021.

NS was the first Class I to issue green bonds. The company allocated $496 million in net proceeds from its green bonds to fund eligible projects as defined under the NS Green Financing Framework.

Alan Shaw yesterday began his first day as Norfolk Southern Railway’s new president and CEO.

Today, Shaw sent to NS employees an open letter that outlines the Class I’s priorities under his leadership, starting with restoring service to meet customers' expected level of service quality. The railroad is "taking the right steps" toward that goal by accelerating its new TOP|SPG operating plan and hiring the conductors the railroad needs to execute the plan reliably, he wrote.

Norfolk Southern Railway announced its new corporate headquarters in Atlanta has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The certification is considered the most widely-used green building rating system in the world. Gold certification was obtained for the building’s design and construction, including sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday announced plans to permanently protect 1,105 acres of wetlands along South Carolina’s coastal plain through a conservation easement.

The "ecologically significant land" is home to the Coldwater Branch Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank at Brosnan Forest, NS' 14,400-acre timber and wildlife preserve northwest of Charleston, NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway is expanding its conductor trainee incentive program to Bellevue, Ohio; Elkhart, Indiana; and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The program includes starting bonuses of $5,000.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday announced a partnership with Commtrex to increase access to and visibility of transload facilities on the Class I’s network.

Shippers using the network will be able to use Commtrex’s database to search among the 32 rail-served transload facilities by location, commodities handled and other parameters, NS officials said in a press release. That will help shippers connect to every major container port in the eastern United States, they added.