Norfolk Southern expects lower 1st quarter earnings

Norfolk Southern expects lower 1st quarter earnings Norfolk Southern Corp., owners of Norfolk Southern Railway, said Wednesday that it expects its first quarter diluted earnings per share to be about 3 percent below the same quarter 2006, mainly due to reduced carload volumes, reflecting declines in the automotive and housing sectors.
   The company added that winter weather conditions in the first quarter of this year were more extreme than the comparatively mild weather a year earlier, resulting in a slowing of operations and increased costs.
   Norfolk Southern will report its first quarter results on April 25.