NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) 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 $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 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; a manufacturing facility in Blythewood, South Carolina, that produces film products used in packaging; and new coal mines in Indiana and Pennsylvania.

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 $60 billion and creation of more than 40,000 direct new customer jobs in territory the railroad serves.

About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation  (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 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, automotive, and industrial products.

Forward-looking statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that may be identified by the use of words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "consider," "project," and similar references to the future. Forward-looking statements reflect our good-faith evaluation of information currently available. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and our actual results may differ materially from those projected. Please refer to our annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC for a full discussion of those risks and uncertainties we view as most important. Forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as, a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at or by which any such performance or results will be achieved. As a result, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation