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NS negotiating to buy its Virginia headquarters building

RICHMOND – Norfolk Southern Corp. is in negotiations to buy the 2-story building in downtown Norfolk, Va., which houses its corporate headquarters.

The building is owned jointly by NationsBank Corp. and NS and is valued at $31 million, according to a newspaper report.

NS has said it will need added space for another 100 to 330 persons at its headquarters after its acquisition of Conrail. Currently, there are 350 employees at its headquarters.

NS’s decision to stay in Norfolk is considered a boost for the city and state. Both had feared NS would move its headquarters at the Conrail deal.

CP police officers ratify three-year contract

CALGARY – Members of the Canadian Pacific Police Association at the CP Railway have ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement through to the end of 200.

This is the 6^th union that has ratified an agreement. It affects 40 police officers.

The agreement provides for wage increases of 2% in each of the 3 years and includes a gain-sharing provision under which employees can share directly in the benefits of the productivity gains they help achieve. In addition, the contract reduces employee pension contributions and provides for improved benefits for extended health, vision and dental care.

New Jersey okays funds for new light rail line

TRENTON – The state budgeted $48 million for a new light-rail commuter line that would run along the Delaware River in South Jersey.

The New Jersey project calls for a state-of-the-art line traversing Camden and Burlington counties that would change commuter patterns for the Philadelphia region.

At the southern end of the 50-minute ride, passengers would emerge into the Walter Rand Transportation Centre in Camden for a transfer to the PATCO High-Speed Line to Philadelphia. About 33 miles north, trains would stop in from of the Trenton Thunder baseball stadium before arriving at the city’s Amtrak station before a connection to New York City.

CN to build intermodal facility

WINNIPEG – Canadian National Railway is constructing a new intermodal facility in Edmonton that will cost $18 (Cdn) million.

Construction is expected to begin this fall, with the terminal occupying 370 acres of industrial land on the city’s western boundary. It will begin operation in the fall of 1999. Edmonton is seen as the focal point for CN operations and a natural distribution point for northern Alberta and western Canada. Intermodal traffic through Edmonton increased 16% between 1997 and 1997.