NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) topped all railroads in the 2012 Newsweek Green Rankings released this week and moved up 217 spots from its 2011 ranking to 181 on Newsweek's U.S. 500 list.

Norfolk Southern ranked eighth among the U.S. transportation and logistics sector and was 300th on the Global 500 list.

"Norfolk Southern made a significant move up the Green Rankings, improving environmental performance across the board," Newsweek reported in releasing the rankings online. "The company has improved on its environmental footprint through a number of initiatives that increase the fuel efficiency of its railroad fleet, which generates 86 percent of the company's total greenhouse-gas emissions. Norfolk Southern has also introduced an emissions reduction target of 10 percent per revenue ton mile by 2014. It has committed to using new technology to improve energy efficiency, including by expanding use of LEADER, an onboard GPS-based computer system, across all its operations by 2014."

Blair Wimbush, NS vice president real estate and corporate sustainability officer, said, "The 2012 Newsweek Green Rankings provide confirmation of Norfolk Southern's progress toward our goal to achieve industry leadership in fuel conservation, emissions reduction, efficient energy use, recycling, use of renewable materials, and environmental partnerships. We strive to ensure that the impacts we leave -- social, economic, and environmental -- are positive for generations to come."

Newsweek says its Green Rankings, published annually since 2009, "comprehensively assess the environmental performance of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States and around the world."

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation