CSX, KCS, NS, UP Ranked Among ‘America’s Most Responsible Companies’

CSX, Kansas City Southern (KCS), Norfolk Southern (NS), and Union Pacific (UP) have earned spots on Newsweek magazine’s fourth-annual list of America’s Most Responsible Companies.

Alan Shaw, President and CEO, Norfolk Southern

NS: ‘A Franchise Built for Growth’ Says Shaw

Norfolk Southern’s (NS) growth strategy was laid out at its Dec. 6 Investor Day, the first under new President and CEO Alan Shaw. Not a “grow-at-all-cost strategy,” Shaw said the Class I will balance three key elements: “Reliable and resilient service; continuous productivity improvement; and smart and sustainable growth.” Cowen and Company and Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) weigh in.

Amtrak Looks to Remove Pennsylvania ‘Distant Signals’

With Positive Train Control (PTC) operational, Amtrak is seeking Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approval to remove automatic wayside signals serving as distant signals to existing interlockings on the Mid-Atlantic Division’s Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg, Pa. line (a Northeast Corridor branch), according to a notice in the Federal Register’s Dec. 7 edition.

Commentary

Will Bureaucrats Invade the C-Suite?

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE: What is going on with Class I railroad labor relations and customer service?

NS will present 15 customers and suppliers with inaugural Thoroughbred Sustainability Partner Awards in January 2023.

Class I Briefs: NS, UP

Norfolk Southern (NS) recognizes 15 customers and suppliers for leadership in energy efficiency, innovation and environmental stewardship. Also, Union Pacific (UP) reports the Mexican government’s extension of the Carta Porte grace period.

JAXPORT Announces New Trans-Atlantic Service

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), which is served by 40 daily trains via CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS), as well as regional railroad Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), announced on Nov. 28 that it has partnered with U.K.-based Ellerman City Liners to offer direct container service to/from three destinations in Europe.

CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson (right) presents STARS President and CEO Andrea Robertson (left) with a $100,000 donation for the non-profit.

Class I Briefs: CN, NS

CN announces $100,000 donation to Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS). Also, Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Atlanta headquarters wins U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Chrysalis Award in the “New Construction Transformation” category.

First Solar is planning a photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturing facility in Alabama’s Lawrence County—its fourth in America. (Photograph Courtesy of First Solar)

First Solar to Build $1.1B Alabama Plant

Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar, Inc., has selected a Norfolk Southern (NS)-served site in north Alabama for a $1.1 billion photovoltaic (PV) solar-module manufacturing facility.

NS Vice President Audit and Compliance Susan Stuart (left); NS Assistant Vice President Sourcing Jacqueline Gray (center); and at Union Pacific, UPVETS President David LaPlante and Air National Guard Member Jacquelynn Harris recently presented her supervisor Brett Hiscock, General Director, Tech, with an ESGR Patriotic Employer Award.

People News: NS, UP

Norfolk Southern (NS) Vice President Audit and Compliance Susan Stuart will retire on March 1, 2023. Succeeding her will be 14-year NS veteran Jacqueline Gray. Also, Union Pacific General Director, Tech Brett Hiscock has earned an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Phase I of the capacity expansion project at Inland Port Greer is now complete. The full project in Upstate South Carolina is expected to wrap up in winter 2024. (Photo/SCPA/English Purcell)

SC Ports Completes Phase I Expansion of Inland Port Greer

South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) on Nov. 18 celebrated completing the first phase of a $30 million-plus capacity expansion project at Inland Port Greer, which is served exclusively by Norfolk Southern (NS).

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