NS Cites Improvement in Performance Metrics

Norfolk Southern reported this week that several metrics indicate that its service has been steadily improving since late November.

NS said it has hired 320 train and engine employees since last summer and plans to hire 900 more throughout 2015. Two-thirds of the new workers will be hired in the first half of the year.

An additional 66 locomotives will be added to the fleet by the end of July.

The railroad cited the $160 million Bellevue yard expansion as one of the reasons for its growing volumes.

The service update also highlighted NS’s $2.4 billion capital improvement program in 2015 that will allocate $640 million on freight cars and locomotives.

NS has budgeted nearly $1.3 billion for rail, tie, ballast and bridge renewal work, and facility and infrastructure improvements.

Tags: Norfolk Southern, NS locomotives, NS performance metrics