Norfolk Southern’s Profit Jumps 59%

Norfolk Southern Corp. said its second-quarter profit jumped 59% from a year ago.

The Eastern freight railroad earned $392 million, or $1.04 per share, compared with $247 million, or 66 cents, a year earlier.

NS said that its results were based on “continuing operating leverage.” It was the company's fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year volume growth.

Railway revenue grew 31% to $2.4 billion and traffic volume increased 22%.

Intermodal revenue gained 23% over a year ago to $451 million. General merchandise revenue increased 31% to $1.3 billion. Coal revenue grew 36% to $696 million.