NEW YORK, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) rang The Closing Bell® on the New York Stock Exchange today in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the listing of the corporation's securities.

Accompanied by NS employees and officers, CEO Wick Moorman rang the bell at 4 p.m. to signal the official end of the trading day. The bell-ringing tradition traces its history to the 1870s, and today participation is considered a high honor in American business.

"The bell ceremony calls attention to more than just 30 years," Moorman said. "It brings to mind the heritage of our predecessor railroads that began in the 1820s, and it encourages us all – investors, railroaders, and customers – to look forward to the best days of our industries and our country."

Representing Norfolk Southern's 30,000 employees as Moorman rang the bell at the podium (technically, he pushed a button that rang several bells) were Meri Wilson, electrician in the mechanical department at St. Louis; Isaac James Irby, trackman in the engineering department at Island Ave., Pa.; Monk Wilkerson, engineer in the transportation department at Danville, Ky; Deborah Butler, EVP planning and chief information officer; Jim Hixon, EVP law and corporate relations; John Rathbone, EVP administration; Don Seale, EVP and chief marketing officer; Jim Squires, EVP finance and chief financial officer; and Marta Stewart, VP and treasurer.

Norfolk Southern stock first began trading on June 2, 1982, under the symbol "NSC," one day after the effective date of the consolidation of Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway. During a ceremony in New York, the new company's officers presented the exchange president a golden spike that had been used in national advertising announcing NS' formation.

At the end of 2011, 330.4 million shares of NS stock were owned by individual and institutional investors.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) 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