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NS system map; trackage rights in purple
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| Reporting mark | NS |
|---|---|
| Locale | Eastern United States |
| Dates of operation | 1894–Present (founded as theSouthern Railway) |
| Predecessor |
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| Track gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 21,500 miles (34,600 kilometres) |
| Headquarters | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Website | nscorp.com |
The Norfolk Southern Railway (reporting mark NS), (also known as Norfolk Southern Railway Company or simplyNorfolk Southern) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates over 22,000 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia,[1] and has rights in Canada from Buffalo to Toronto and over the Albany to Montreal route.[2][dubious ][3] The most common commodity hauled on the railroad is coal from mines in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The railroad also offers the most extensive intermodal network in eastern North America.
The Norfolk Southern Railway was founded in 1894 as the Southern Railway, making it the fourth oldest Class I railroad inNorth America (just behind Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway). The railroad was renamed from "Southern Railway" to its current name "Norfolk Southern Railway" on December 31, 1990 to reflect its parent company, making the railroad the third business entity to use the "Norfolk Southern" name. Its holding company was the second business entity to use the "Norfolk Southern" name starting in 1982 and the holding company was named in honor of the original Norfolk Southern Railway that existed from 1942 to 1982.[citation needed]
Eight years before the renaming in 1982, the railroad and its rival the Norfolk and Western Railway joined together and created Norfolk Southern Corporation holding company and then both railroads were placed under control of their new holding company.
The railroad gained full control of the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1990 with the Norfolk and Western being transferred from the holding company to the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway. In 1997, the Norfolk Southern Railway absorbed the Norfolk and Western Railway, ending the existence of the Norfolk and Western Railway.
In 1999, the railroad grew substantially with the acquisition of over half of Conrail, acquiring 58% of Conrail. CSX Corporation'sCSX Transportation acquired the remaining 42% of Conrail. Together Norfolk Southern Railway and the CSX Transportation have a duopoly over all east-west freight rail traffic east of the Mississippi River.
After close of markets on November 17, 2015, Canadian Pacific Railway announced an offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Norfolk Southern Railway, at a price in excess of the US$26 Billion capitalization of the US based railway.[4] If completed, this merger of the second and fourth oldest Class I railroads in North America would form the largest single railway company on that continent, reaching from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast to the Gulf Coast.[4]
History
Its time as the Southern Railway (1894–1990)
Main article: Southern Railway (U.S.)
Norfolk Southern Railway was established in 1894 as the Southern Railway, making it the fourth oldest Class I railroad in North America after Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway.
Before its establishment as the Southern Railway, the railroad has predecessor railroads in its heritage dating back to the early 19th century. The railroad's earliest predecessor line was the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road. Chartered in December 1827, the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company became the first in the nation to offer regularly scheduled passenger train service with the inaugural run of the Best Friend of Charleston on December 25, 1830.[5]
Another early predecessor to the railroad was the Richmond & Danville Railroad (R&D), was formed in 1847 and expanded into a large system after the American Civil War under Algernon S. Buford. The R&D ultimately fell on hard times and in 1894, it became a major portion of the then new Southern Railway (SOU). Financier J. P. Morgan selected veteran railroader Samuel Spencer as president. Profitable and innovative, Southern Railway became in 1953 the first major U.S. railroad to completely switch to diesel-electric locomotives from steam.
As the Southern Railway, the railroad purchased or absorbed various railroads over its 96-year period: Alabama Great Southern Railroad(AGS), Atlantic & Eastern Carolina Railway (A&EC), Central of Georgia Railway (CG), Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway(CNO&TP), Georgia and Florida Railroad (G&F), Georgia Northern Railway (GANO), Georgia Southern and Florida Railway (GS&F),Knoxville and Charleston Railroad, Louisiana Southern Railway (LS), New Orleans and North Eastern Railway (NO&NE), New Orleans Terminal Company (NOTCO), Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (TA&G), Carolina and Northwestern Railway (C&NW).
In 1982, the railroad teamed up with its competitor Norfolk and Western Railway with a merger. The Norfolk and Western dates back to the 19th century and absorbed various railroads in the second half of the 20th century such the Virginian Railway, the Wabash Railway, and theNew York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (also known as the Nickel Plate Road).[6] The merger aimed to compete in the eastern United States with the CSX Corporation (it's railroad network later transformed into the CSX Transportation) which was formed after the Interstate Commerce Commission's 1980 approval of the merger of the Chessie System and the Seaboard System.
The resulting merger consisted of both the Southern Railway and the Norfolk and Western Railway merging its business operations together to form a new railroad holding company called the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The "Norfolk Southern" name came from an earlier railroad called the Norfolk Southern Railway. The new holding company now becomes the second business entity to the "Norfolk Southern" name; the "Norfolk Southern" name would later on be used more frequently by the newly renamed Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly the Southern Railway). After the merger, both the Southern and the Norfolk and Western continued as separate railroads but now under one holding company. The created holding company placed its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia
The company suffered a slight embarrassment when the marble headpiece at the building's entrance was unveiled, which read "Norfork Southern Railway". A new headpiece replaced the erroneous one several weeks later.[7]
Continuing as the Norfolk Southern Railway (1990-Present)
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On December 31, 1990, the railroad, now owned and operated by the new Norfolk Southern Corporation, renamed itself from "Southern Railway" to "Norfolk Southern Railway" to reflect its parent company.
In the same year the railroad changed its name (1990), the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly Southern Railway) gained full control of the Norfolk and Western Railway with the Norfolk and Western being transferred from the holding company to the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway. This began Norfolk and Western's last seven years of operation.
In 1996, Norfolk Southern entered into a duopoly with the CSX Corporation to takeover the formerly government-owned Conrail. Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) was a 11,000-mile (18,000 km) system formed in 1976 and replaced the Penn Central Railroad (1968–1976),[6] which itself was created with the merging three venerable railroad rivals, the Pennsylvania Railroad theNew York Central Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, as well as some smaller competitors. Conrail replacing Penn Central was perhaps the most controversial conglomerate in corporate history. Conrail became profitable after the Staggers Act in 1980 largely deregulated the U.S. railroad industry.
The CSX Corporation bid to buy Conrail and have it be absorbed its railroad CSX Transportation. Norfolk Southern Railway's parent, the Norfolk Southern Corporation has been attempting to purchase Conrail ever since the holding company was created which was back in 1982. Fearing that CSX would come to dominate rail traffic in the eastern U.S., Norfolk Southern responded with a bid of its own to purchase Conrail. This started a takeover battle between Norfolk Southern and CSX
In 1997 during the Conrail battle with CSX which was handled by the parent Norfolk Southern Corporation, the Norfolk Southern Railway finally absorbed the Norfolk and Western Railway into their rail system, ending the existence of the Norfolk and Western Railway.
On June 23, 1997, NS and CSX filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for authority to purchase, divide, and operate the assets of Conrail. On June 6, 1998, the STB approved the NS-CSX application, effective August 22, 1998. The process though wasn't completed until 1999.
In 1999 the Conrail takeover between Norfolk Southern and CSX was complete, the result was Norfolk Southern acquired over half of Conrail which was 58% while CSX got the remaining 42%. Norfolk Southern gained about 7,200 miles (11,600 km) of track, most of which was part of the former Pennsylvania Railroad. Norfolk Southern began operating its trains on its portion of the former Conrail network on June 1, 1999, closing out the 1990s merger era.
In 2015, the NS completed the acquisition of 282 miles of the Delaware & Hudson Railway Co.'s (D&H) line between Sunbury, Pa., and Schenectady, N.Y. for 214.5 million dollars from the Canadian Pacific The acquired lines connect with NS' network at Sunbury, Pa., and Binghamton, N.Y., and they provide NS single-line routes from Chicago and the southeastern United States to Albany, N.Y., and NS' intermodal terminals in Scranton, Pa., and Mechanicville, N.Y. NS also gains an enhanced connection to its joint venture subsidiary Pan Am Southern, which serves New England markets. Additionally, NS has acquired D&H's car shop in Binghamton along with other facilities along the corridor.[8]
To date, both the Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation have a duopoly over all east-west freight rail traffic east of the Mississippi River.
Operations
NS is a major transporter of domestic and export coal. The railroad's major sources of the mineral are located in: Pennsylvania's Cambriaand Indiana counties, as well as the Monongahela Valley; West Virginia; and the Appalachia regions of Virginia, Kentucky, andTennessee. In Pennsylvania, NS also receives coal through interchange with R.J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines at Cresson, Pennsylvania, originating in the "Clearfield Cluster".
NS's export of West Virginia bituminous coal, begins transport on portions of the well-engineered former Virginian Railway and the former N&W double-tracked line in Eastern Virginia to its Lambert's Point coal pier on Hampton Roads at Norfolk. Coal transported by NS is thus exported to steel mills and power plants around the world. The company is also a major transporter of auto parts and completed vehicles. It operates intermodal container and TOFC (trailer on flat car) trains, some in conjunction with other railroads. NS was the first railway to employ roadrailers, which are highway truck trailers with interchangeable wheel sets.
According to NS's 2012 Annual Report to Investors, at the end of 2012, NS had more than 30,943 employees, 3,468 locomotives, and 79,082 freight cars.
At the end of 2012, the transport of coal, coke, and iron ore made up 26% of the total operating revenue of NS, general merchandise (automotive, chemicals, metals, construction materials, agriculture commodities, consumer products, paper, clay, and forest products) made up 54%, and intermodal made up 20% of the total.
Company officers
CEO and President positions represent both the railroad and the holding company. CEO's and Presidents of Norfolk Southern have included:
- Robert B. Claytor, CEO: 1982–1987
- Arnold B. McKinnon, CEO and President: 1987–1992
- David R. Goode:
- CEO: 1992–2005
- President: 1991–2004
- Charles "Wick" Moorman:
- CEO: 2005–present
- President: 2004–2013
- James A. Squires:[9]
- President: June 1, 2013–present
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