Norfolk Southern Corporation said it and its customers fueled $7.7 billion into new or expanded rail-served facilities along Norfolk Southern and short line partner routes.
The railroad said its customers advanced more than 60 industrial developments in 2025, in economic activity across states and industries, a move that was made possible by the reach of Norfolk Southern’s strategic network footprint.
“Our customers’ $7.7 billion pipeline underscores rail’s foundational – and increasingly strategic – role in U.S. supply chains,” Ed Elkins, Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and COO, said. “In 2026, we’re focusing on creating turnkey sites and achieving ever-higher service standard so that customers benefit from a range of advantages that come with choosing a Norfolk Southern-served property.”
The company said U.S. Manufacturing PMI contracted through much of the year, which showed softer new orders and manufacturing employment, but factory output and industrial production showed late-year stabilization as capacity utilization improved. As U.S. manufacturing indicators showed mixed momentum, Norfolk Southern’s pipeline continued to attract long-term private investment, the company said. Those investments were aligned to growth corridors and port gateways across the Southeast and Midwest. The company said it has more than 500 U.S. manufacturing projects in the site selection phase.
Norfolk Southern said over the last year it has sharpened its portfolio of rail-served industrial sites, with 15 of its sites receiving Readiness Evaluation for Development and Investment (REDI Sites) designation.
“These REDI designations make site selection faster and more predictable for companies that rely on rail,” Craig Hudson, Norfolk Southern GVP of Industrial Development, said. “Our development-ready sites are engineered for rail connectivity and logistical efficiency, which helps customers compress timelines and communities capture high-quality jobs and investment.”
The pending Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger that would create a unified coast-to-coast freight rail network could further strengthen the nation’s economic foundation, the railroad said. That merger is pending review by the Surface Transportation Board. The combined railroad would offer nearly 3,000 rail-served industrial development properties the ability to connect with more than 100 ports and 10 international gateways to Canada and Mexico.