Norfolk Southern Post-Katrina Operations Returning To Normal

[Admin]

NORFOLK, VA -- Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE: NSC) said its rail
operations in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi are returning to
normal in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, with the exception of the
immediate New Orleans area.

“Lines are open, trains are moving, and we are ready to do our part in
the overall recovery,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David
R. Goode. “Communities, customers and recovery organizations can depend
on rail transportation. Our thoughts are with them, and our resources
are at their call.”

Norfolk Southern said freight that regularly travels through New
Orleans for connection to other carriers is being rerouted through the
railroad’s other gateways.

Since the hurricane struck, Norfolk Southern crews have inspected some
1,400 miles of railroad and removed 3,680 trees on lines in the Gulf
States.

Stephen C. Tobias, vice chairman and chief operating officer, credited
NS people and systems with the quick and safe recovery. “Railroaders
have had their share of experience in responding to hurricanes, from
Camille to Andrew and from Fran to Hugo. When Katrina came, they were
prepared, they knew what to do, and they did it safely,” he said.

Preparations included moving rolling equipment inland and staging
people, ballast, rail and equipment just outside the hurricane’s path.
Transportation planners used the railroad’s Thoroughbred Operating Plan
to plot “what if” scenarios in advance of Katrina’s arrival, allowing
for efficient rerouting of freight.

Tobias said repairs will get under way in the next several days on
Norfolk Southern’s 5.8-mile long concrete ballast trestle across Lake
Pontchartrain from Slidell, La., to New Orleans, where several miles of
rail were washed from the top of the bridge. Additionally, Norfolk
Southern’s Oliver Yard in New Orleans was under water as of this
morning. “Once we restore rail to the bridge and repair adjacent
trackage, and once water recedes, we will be able to move needed
materials and supplies into the area,” Tobias said. “We recognize the
extreme need of our neighbors in New Orleans, and we will work as
quickly and safely as possible to help in their recovery.”

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier
transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary
operates approximately 21,300 route miles in 22 states, the District of
Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container port in the
eastern United States and providing superior connections to western
rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network in the
East and is North America’s largest rail carrier of automotive parts
and finished vehicles.

[Homesick]

Amazing how much they've done in such a short time, and this:

removed 3,680 trees on lines in the Gulf States.

wow.