NS shares 'Forging a Better Tomorrow' report

Norfolk Southern Railway recently released its 2026 Forging a Better Tomorrow report, which highlights progress the Class I has made during 2025 and early 2026 toward building a safer, stronger and more sustainable railroad.

The report covers NS' investments in operational performance and service reliability, sustainability and carbon-lowering initiatives, and improvements to safety.

For the year, NS highlighted the following achievements in business excellence and innovation:

• Invested more than $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades
• Supported more than 60 industrial development projects
• Expanded AI-powered inspection, monitoring and analytics
• Announced the proposed merger with Union Pacific Railroad 

For environmental causes and sustainability, NS in 2025-26:

• Achieved a 5% improvement in locomotive fuel efficiency and surpassed 1,000 DC-to-AC locomotive modernizations
• Diverted 84% of operational waste from landfills while generating a record $101 million through resource recovery
• Expanded the RailGreen™ program and reporting tools that help customers reduce supply chain emissions

In safety initiatives, NS:

• Achieved the best Federal Railroad Administration-reportable train accident rate in more than a decade, a 29% improvement from 2025
• Reduced the employee injury rate by 15%
• Trained more than 5,800 first responders through its Operation Awareness & Response program
• Scanned more than 75% of all traffic with Digital Train Inspection portals

For community and workforce initiatives, NS:

• Contributed more than $18.2 million to charitable organizations for the third consecutive year
• Logged more than 7,200 hours in railroader volunteer hours
• Strengthened partnerships with craft employees and labor organizations, ratifying agreements with all 13 unions