NS wins 22nd consecutive Harriman award

According to the Association of American Railroads, 2010 was the safest year ever for railroads, with significant reductions achieved in train accidents and employee casualties. The E.H. Harriman Award recognizes those railroads that accomplish exceptional safety records and this year marks Norfolk Southern's 22nd consecutive win. In 2010, train accidents on U.S. Class 1 freight railroads were down three percent with the rate per-million-train-miles falling 9.6 percent from the previous record established in 2009. The number of employee casualties on U.S. Class 1 freight railroads fell by 14.2 percent, while the employee casualty rate measured per-hundred full-time equivalent employees declined 16 percent from the previous record set in 2009. The 2010 E.H. Harriman Awards winners are as follows: In Group A, comprising line-haul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more, Norfolk Southern received the gold award for the 22nd year in a row. CSX Transportation won the silver award and Union Pacific the bronze award. In Group B, line-haul railroads whose employees worked fout to 15 million employee-hours, the gold award went to Kansas City Southern for the fifth year in a row. The silver award went to Canadian Pacific (U.S. Operations), while the bronze went to Canadian National (U.S. Operations). Group C includes railroads whose employees worked between 250,000 and four million employee-hours. The gold award went to the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, while the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroads took the silver and the Paducah and Louisville Railway the bronze. In Group S&T, for switching and terminal companies with more than 250,000 employee hours, the Gary Railway took the gold, while the silver award went to the Port Terminal Railroad Association and the Union Railroad received the bronze award.