Norfolk Southern to Buy the Cincinnati Southern Railway for $1.62 Billion

Norfolk Southern is one of the nation’s largest and most profitable railroads. Notwithstanding its success, our railroad accident lawyers continue to handle claims from workers who suffered injuries on the job. The railroad is set to get even bigger following the announcement it will purchase the assets of a regional railroad.

Norfolk Southern Corporation announced it would purchase the assets of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (SCR) in a press release late last year.

About Cincinnati Southern Railway

The CSR operates a 337-mile railroad from Cincinnati, Ohio to Chattanooga, Tennessee. CSR is owned by the City of Cincinnati and operated by the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway Company (CNOTP), a wholly owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern Railway, under a lease agreement expiring in 2026. The deal with the City of Cincinnati is worth $1.62 billion.

The announcement means Norfolk Southern will own the line in perpetuity, thus eliminating questions about the cost of the lease in the future. The line is one of the busiest in the county with as many as 30 trains a day traveling along the route.

The acquisition of CSR will consolidate the position of Norfolk Southern as one of the most powerful railroad operators in the country when the deal is completed in 2024.

“The Cincinnati Southern Railway is a critical artery linking the Midwest and the Southeast and plays an important role in our powerful network that serves more than half the U.S. population,” said Norfolk Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Alan H. Shaw in the press release.

History of Norfolk Southern Corporation

Norfolk Southern Corporation has been a railroad operator since 1827. It is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in the country. The company announced it would be relocating its headquarters to Atlanta in 2018, leaving its hometown of Norfolk, Virginia after 38 years.

Railway Age reported CSR was built in the 19th century through rough terrain that required 27 tunnels and 105 bridges. Cincinnati was a major destination for steamboats before the Civil War.

Thousands of railroad workers died in the building of the country’s railroads and workers had few rights in the 19th Century if they suffered an injury. The enactment of the Federal Employers Liability Act in 1908 finally allowed railroad workers to obtain just compensation for injuries sustained on the job.

FELA

FELA is intended to hold railroad companies responsible for not providing their employees with a safe workplace and covers a wide range of potential harms that workers may have suffered.

The act allows both train crews and workers in yards to recover compensation. In 2022, a federal jury ordered Norfolk Southern Railway to pay almost $304,000 to a Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers client who suffered an arm injury when he jumped out of the way of a giant set of train wheels.

John Cooper, a founding partner of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, has a long track record of success in railroad injury cases. He filed a civil case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, and said the award represents a significant win.

Call Our Firm for Railroad Company Lawsuits

Railroads such as Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Amtrak are massive organizations with large amounts of money. Unfortunately, their wealth does not always equate to safety.

If you suffer an injury on the railroad, it’s important to consult a lawyer who routinely takes on the big railroad companies and gets results. It’s always tough to go up against the national railroads and their extensive legal teams. Our attorneys have been doing it for years. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers.