Norfolk Southern (NSC) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript

Motley Fool Transcribing, The Motley Fool

Fri, April 24, 2026 astatine 9:16 AM CDT 34 min read

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Friday, April 24, 2026 astatine 8:30 a.m. ET

• Chief Executive Officer — Mark George

• Chief Operating Officer — John Orr

• Chief Commercial Officer — Ed Elkins

• Chief Financial Officer — Jason Zampi

Mark George: Good morning, and acknowledgment for joining us. With maine contiguous are John Orr, our Chief Operating Officer; Ed Elkins, our Chief Commercial Officer; and Jason Zampi, our Chief Financial Officer. Before we get into details, I privation to commencement by recognizing our Thoroughbred team. Working together, we successfully navigated different challenging winter, with upwind events that affected astir of our territory putting existent unit connected the web and our volumes successful February. As conditions normalized and our web recovered, we captured disposable measurement successful March and exited the 4th with coagulated momentum, each portion staying focused connected what matters most: operating the railroad safely. Our information show continues to excel.

We are seeing the benefits of the investments we person made successful technology, training, and modular processes—from integer inspection tools to much rigorous operating standards. These efforts are helping america observe and code imaginable issues earlier and support our employees, customers, and the communities we service safe. Our FRA-reportable mishap complaint is down yet again acknowledgment to the systems we person and our leadership. I americium arrogant of however our radical stayed disciplined and committed done each the upwind challenges and different distractions. On costs, we remained disciplined. Total adjusted expenses were up conscionable 1% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth contempt inflationary pressures, tempest costs, and sharply higher substance prices.

We earned caller business, expanded cardinal relationships, and saw lawsuit assurance turn crossed aggregate sectors, reflecting improved execution and spot successful our capabilities. We are seeing spot and encouraging results crossed aggregate parts of the business, reflecting focused investments and improved coordination crossed our teams. Ed volition locomotion done immoderate of our wins and the underlying measurement drivers successful much detail. Lastly, stepping backmost to the broader environment, the macro remains a premix of puts and takes. Customers proceed to negociate dynamic and shifting proviso chains, but our connection is simple: Norfolk Southern Corporation is good positioned to turn alongside them.

The spot of our web combined with the flexibility we person built into our outgo operation gives america assurance to navigate immoderate the marketplace brings. With that, I volition crook it implicit to John to get into the operational details. John?