Norfolk Southern announced recently it has completed a package of new infrastructure investments across Alabama designed to increase freight capacity, improve network fluidity and strengthen the state’s rail corridors.
The work began in 2024, officials said, and included a number of separate projects along Norfolk Southern’s 3B Corridor connecting markets in northern and central Alabama with the Port of Mobile. Projects included a mix of terminal and track-based infrastructure improvements.
“The investments we have made to our 3B Corridor over the last two years are reflective of NS’ commitment to meeting demand and delivering safe, reliable and efficient service for our customers,” Norfolk Southern AVP Strategic Planning David Lehlbach said. “This work – the largest comprehensive corridor improvement project that NS has undertaken in a decade – strengthens a corridor that is essential to Alabama’s economy, ensuring the state’s businesses have the supply chain infrastructure they need to continue to compete and grow.”
The investments ranged from an extension of siding in Shelby County as part of the Lacey Siding Extension and Relocation project to the installation of CTC and the extension of four sidings in Shelby, Wilcox and Clarke counties as part of the Fremont, Catherine, Sunny South and Jackson Siding Extensions.
“Norfolk Southern’s completed infrastructure upgrades represent exactly the kind of private-sector commitment that strengthens Alabama’s economy for the long term,” Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair said. “By following through on its promise to expand capacity, improve freight movement, and support continued growth around the state, Norfolk Southern is helping make Alabama more competitive while also delivering meaningful benefits to the communities where it operates.”