BELLEVUE, Ohio, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) this month will begin a $160 million project to expand its Bellevue rail yard in Northern Ohio, a project that will double the yard's capacity in order to meet rising demand for freight rail transportation.

"Bellevue is already an important terminal for the classification and movement of freight, and this investment will expand and modernize Bellevue, contributing to the fluid movement of long-distance freight across our rail system," said Mark Manion, Norfolk Southern's chief operating officer. "This project will help us improve asset utilization and efficiency, enhance customer service, strengthen our entire 22-state system, and further confirm Ohio's importance to freight rail transportation."

Some 275 new railroad jobs will be added to the 700 positions currently based in Bellevue. NS employs about 3,600 people across Ohio and plans to hire another 60 in the state by the end of 2012 to address attrition and shipper needs.

Other key elements of the project include:

• 38 new tracks, bringing the total number of classification tracks to 80.
• 38.5 miles of new rail, which will allow NS to increase the number of cars classified from about 1,800 to as many as 3,600 a day.
• 145 miles of underground cable for communication and signal systems.
• 140 new automated switches to direct train traffic to the proper tracks.
• 11 upgraded control points, signals that will make train access to the Bellevue facility more efficient.

Bellevue is one of 12 NS classification facilities, where freight cars are collected and sorted for their final destinations. When completed in 2015, Bellevue will be the largest classification yard on the NS system.

The community of Bellevue has been a railroading center since the late 19th century, when NS' Nickel Plate Road predecessor line came to town. Bellevue Yard opened in 1966 on NS' Norfolk and Western Railway predecessor line. Today, 100 to 110 trains pass through daily, while 20 to 30 originate in the area and a like number terminate in the area. For the most part, the trains carry vehicles, vehicle parts, agricultural products, and consumer products.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation