Railroad News

Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday posted its 2016 annual report online, highlighting its progress at achieving first-year goals in the Class I's five-year strategic plan to streamline operations and drive profitability and growth.

In the report, NS Chief Executive Officer James Squires told shareholders that the company in 2016 met or exceeded its targets to lower operating costs, increase profitability and improve customer service, which put NS "well on our way to achieving our 2020 goals."

Norfolk Southern Railway's safety train will stop in 23 cites this year as part of the Class I's Operation Awareness and Response (OAR) program to provide first responders with free training on how to respond to a railroad accident.

The train will kick off today in Hagerstown, Md., with three days of training at the NS terminal there, NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday opened a new locomotive maintenance and repair facility in Chicago to improve operational efficiency for trains moving through the area.

NS' $9.5 million investment expands the Class I's locomotive repair capabilities in the Chicago region. Previously, locomotives in need of more extensive maintenance were transported to other repair shops on the NS system, company officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday named six people who will begin serving new positions and duties in the coming months.

The appointments reflect the "deep strength and versatility" of the company's management team, said NS Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2016 net income rose 15 percent to $416 million, or $1.42 diluted earnings share, from $361 million, or $1.20 diluted earnings per share, in the same period a year ago.

Railway operating revenue during the quarter declined 1 percent to $2.5 billion compared with Q4 2015, reflecting lower merchandise and coal traffic, as well as reduced fuel surcharges.

Norfolk Southern Railway was included on the 2017 list of military friendly employers by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines.

This is the 10th year the Class I has appeared on the list, which features companies with a "proven record of hiring and supporting veterans in the workplace," NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has elected to its board former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Ernst & Young retired partner Marcela Donadio, the company announced yesterday.

Daniels has been president of Purdue University since 2013. He served as Indiana's governor from 2005 to 2013. At NS, he has been appointed to the board's Compensation Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee.

Norfolk Southern Railway's Safety Train educated 1,926 first responders on its 18-city tour during 2016, the Class I announced today.

The "rolling classroom" traveled to the 18 cities in 13 states across NS' network to provide free, hands-on training to firefighters, police officers, emergency management personnel, and other first responders on how to safely respond to a rail-related hazardous materials incident, according to an NS press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp.'s "Safety Train" rolled into Chattanooga, Tenn., last week to host 195 emergency responders for advanced training in how to handle hazardous materials.

The train serves as a mobile technical training center for the continuing education of first responders and government agency representatives. Staged last week on a track near the Chattanooga Fire Department, the train attracted emergency responders from 14 agencies in the Chattanooga and northwest Georgia areas, according to an NS press release.