By Nicholas Woodroof

January 11, 2019 - Norfolk Southern, the American transportation company, generated more than 60,000 carloads of new rail traffic in 2018 through collaborative efforts that helped 90 industries locate or expand business operations along the company's rail lines.

The 72 new and 18 expanded industries across 17 states represented an investment of US$1.5 billion by Norfolk Southern customers. This commercial development is expected to create nearly 3,000 new customer jobs and contribute to the economic vitality in communities across the railroad's service area.

"This broad-based industrial growth in our service region reflected ongoing economic strength throughout 2018," said Jason Reiner, Assistant Vice President Industrial Development. "We saw strong investment in manufacturing projects and good activity related to our chemicals and coal franchises. Our current project activity suggests 2019 will be similarly productive."

Norfolk Southern works with state and local economic development leaders on projects involving site location and development of infrastructure to connect customers to its rail system. The railroad provides free and confidential facility location services, including industrial park planning, site layout, track design, and supply-chain analysis.

Among the largest development projects that generated new annual rail carloads on Norfolk Southern in 2018 were new coal mines in Indiana and Pennsylvania; a new tissue mill in Circleville, Ohio; an advanced-technology saw mill in Talladega, Alabama; a new consumer-goods manufacturing facility near Martinsburg, West Virginia; and a manufacturing facility in Blythewood, South Carolina, that produces film products used in packaging.

During the past 10 years, Norfolk Southern's Industrial Development Department has participated in the location or expansion of 899 facilities that represents private investment of nearly US$60 billion and creation of more than 40,000 direct new customer jobs in territory the railroad serves.