Industrial signals in 2025 were two speed: The U.S. Manufacturing PMI contracted through much of the year, reflecting softer new orders and manufacturing employment, yet factory output and industrial production showed late-year stabilization – and pockets of strength in durable goods – as capacity utilization improved from prior months.
Even as U.S. manufacturing indicators showed mixed momentum in 2025, Norfolk Southern's pipeline continues to attract long–term private investment aligned to growth corridors and port gateways across the Southeast and Midwest. Norfolk Southern currently has over 500 U.S. manufacturing projects in the site selection phase, representing additional opportunities for growth supported by rail.
"Our customers' $7.7 billion pipeline underscores rail's foundational – and increasingly strategic – role in U.S. supply chains," said Ed Elkins, Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "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."
A Range of Industries Benefit from Rail Access
Norfolk Southern 2025 industrial development activity was strong across many sectors, including: metals, paper, aggregates, and automotive-related projects. Leading projects that achieved significant outcomes – for Norfolk Southern, our customers, and the respective communities – include support for Alabama's emerging biotech sector and a new automotive manufacturing facility in South Carolina.
Over the last year, Norfolk Southern sharpened its portfolio of rail-served industrial sites. 15 of Norfolk Southern's sites received the independent Readiness Evaluation for Development and Investment (REDI Sites) designation, reflecting rigorous assessments by members of the Site Selectors Guild.
"These REDI designations make site selection faster and more predictable for companies that rely on rail," said Craig Hudson, Norfolk Southern GVP of Industrial Development. "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."
Site selectors can search NSites, Norfolk Southern's optimized platform featuring more than 800 rail served properties and 340 transload facilities. This year, Norfolk Southern will be adding even more sites on behalf of its more than 270 short line partners.
Norfolk Southern also advanced a disciplined real estate strategy in 2025 to unlock rail–backed customer growth across the network. Several of the company's land sales were directly tied to integrated freight opportunities — including intermodal expansion, port connectivity, and transload development — while other sales enabled reinvestment into higher–value sites at the heart of emerging industrial clusters.
"These strategic sales, paired with targeted land acquisitions, reflect a deliberate "trade–up" approach: leveraging non–core assets to secure opportunities that strengthen network capacity, attract rail–served industries, and position Norfolk Southern for sustained economic and industrial development," said Cliff Garner, Norfolk Southern AVP Real Estate and Facility Services.
Those looking to grow their business with rail in 2026 can contact Norfolk Southern's Industrial Development and Real Estate teams and access a full suite of resources at NorfolkSouthern.com.
A Coast-to-Coast Rail Network Can Push American Reindustrialization to the Next Level
In 2025, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern proposed merging to create a unified coast–to–coast freight rail network designed to accelerate U.S. reindustrialization and strengthen the nation's economic foundation for decades to come. It is pending review by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). By delivering faster, more reliable single–line service, the merged railroad will open new markets for American manufacturers, transform more than 10,000 existing lanes into seamless single–line routes, and unlock growth across underserved regions on both sides of the Mississippi River.
"A transcontinental railroad stands to accelerate economic growth across our country, creating new, faster shipping options for a range of businesses across sizes and sectors," added Elkins. "Together with Union Pacific, we would continue the long history of railroads growing America's economy, unlocking growth and greater connections to global freight gateways."
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 – a top asset for global manufacturers looking to grow or expand their business with rail.
Backed by $5.6 billion in combined 2025 capital investment and an additional $2.1 billion integration investment, the merger will align infrastructure where American industry is growing – supporting manufacturing clusters, high–density production corridors, and fast–emerging logistics hubs. Enhanced service reliability, fewer handoffs, reduced car touches, and significant reductions in transit time – like saving up to 252 miles and 20–95 hours in key lanes – will ensure that U.S. shippers gain a competitive advantage in both domestic and global markets.
Learn more about this historic transaction at up-nstranscontinental.com.
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a 22-state freight network and helps customers avoid approximately 15 million tons of annual carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Norfolk Southern delivers about 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and operates the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving major population and manufacturing centers with connections to every major Atlantic Coast port, as well as key Gulf Coast and Great Lakes ports. Learn more at www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation
Share this article