The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The company operates 19,420 route miles (31,250 km) in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia, and has rights in Canada over the Albany to Montreal route of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City. Norfolk Southern Railway is the leading subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation.
NS 9865, a GE Dash 9-40CW, leads an intermodal train in Wauseon, Ohio
Norfolk Southern's headquarters in Atlanta
The 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
Two NS trains heading east along the Pittsburgh Line
Railroad classes are the system by which freight railroads are designated in the United States. Railroads are assigned to Class I, II or III according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$504,803,294 for Class I carriers and US$40,384,263 for Class II carriers.
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a typical example of a Class I railroad in the eastern United States.
The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a typical example of a Class II regional railroad in Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois.
The Buckingham Branch Railroad is a typical example of a Class III shortline in Virginia.