Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company

What Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company does

Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company (NPBL) is a terminal switching railroad established in 1898 and headquartered at 1340 Truxton Street, Chesapeake, Virginia. It operates 36 miles of owned track plus 27 miles of trackage rights linking commerce from Sewell's Point to Portsmouth Marine Terminal and the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in the Hampton Roads terminal district. The railroad is jointly owned by Norfolk Southern Corporation (57%) and CSX Corporation (43%), the two Class I railroads that consolidated ownership from the original eight line-haul founding railroads through successive mergers. NPBL serves a defined set of industrial customers along the corridor — including Perdue, A&R Logistics, ARREFF Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, and Elizabeth River Terminals — providing terminal switching, Class I interchange, and port/terminal access that links Hampton Roads industries to the deep-water Port of Virginia and the national rail network.

Name

Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company

Legal name

Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company

Website

https://npblrr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad is a terminal switching railroad established in 1898, operating 36 miles of owned track plus 27 miles of trackage rights in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Jointly owned by Norfolk Southern (57%) and CSX (43%), it provides switching and Class I interchange services linking industrial customers and the Port of Virginia to the national rail network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Terminal Switching Railroad Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882), Short Line Railroads (482112)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLADACAJ

Industrial & Terminal Railroads (Plant/Port Switching)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Rail Freight Operators (Class I/Regional/Short Line)

SECONDARYTLAJAFAB

Rail Freight Yard Operations (Classification, Hump & Flat Yards)

Transportation & Logistics/Transportation Infrastructure & Operations (Roads, Rail Networks, Traffic Management)/Intermodal & Freight Rail Yards / Terminals Operations

SECONDARYTLAJAFAL

Intermodal Terminal Value-Added Services (Cross-Dock, Transload, Stuffing/Stripping)

Transportation & Logistics/Transportation Infrastructure & Operations (Roads, Rail Networks, Traffic Management)/Intermodal & Freight Rail Yards / Terminals Operations

Keywords

• Terminal switching railroad
• Rail freight services
• Class I interchange
• Industrial rail service
• Port terminal access

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesapeake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Switching Services: Switching fees are most often absorbed in the line-haul carrier's rate, so customers typically receive a single bill for service. This makes pricing transparent to the customer.
2. Storage/Demurrage: Storage and demurrage charges for cargo held at terminals. Published tariff NPB 6004-B covers these services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad is a terminal switching company that provides rail switching services across the Hampton Roads terminal district in Virginia. It connects industrial customers and the deep-water Port of Virginia with the national Class I rail network via direct interchange with Norfolk Southern and CSX, using 36 miles of owned track plus 27 miles of trackage rights. The company also publishes switching and storage/demurrage tariffs and administers utility permit and right-of-entry application processes for crossings of its right-of-way.

Product overview

The Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad operates as a terminal switching railroad serving the Hampton Roads region since 1898. The company offers a unified portfolio of rail services centered around its core terminal switching operations, which connect commerce around the deep-water Port of Virginia. The service portfolio includes: (1) Terminal Switching Services as the primary offering, (2) Class I Interchange Services connecting with Norfolk Southern (57% owner) and CSX (43% owner), (3) Port & Terminal Access to Portsmouth Marine Terminal and Elizabeth River terminals, and (4) Industrial Rail Service across 36 miles of owned track. Supporting these core rail operations, the company also provides administrative services including Utility Permit Applications (for wireline/pipeline crossings) and Right of Entry Applications (for property access), both administered through DesMarais Consulting LLC. Published tariffs for switching and storage/demurrage are available as PDF documents. The company is jointly owned by Norfolk Southern (57%) and CSX (43%), and connects industries to both Class I carriers as well as Buckingham Branch and Chesapeake & Albemarle railroads.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terminal Switching Services Reliable switching operations across the Hampton Roads terminal district, connecting industrial customers with the deep-water Port of Virginia. Switching fees are typically absorbed into the line-haul carrier's rate so customers receive a single bill for service.
• Class I Interchange Services Direct rail interchange with both Class I owners — Norfolk Southern and CSX — as well as the Buckingham Branch and Chesapeake & Albemarle railroads, enabling shippers to access the national rail network through the Hampton Roads terminal district.
• Port & Terminal Access Rail connections to Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Elizabeth River terminals, and the deep-water Port of Virginia, providing shippers with rail access to marine terminals from Sewell's Point to Portsmouth.
• Industrial Rail Service Competitive transportation links for industries located along 36 miles of owned track, serving customers including Perdue, A&R Logistics, ARREFF Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, and Elizabeth River Terminals.
• Utility Permit Application Process Application process for installing utilities (aerial wirelines, underground conduit, pipelines) on, over, under, or parallel to NPBL tracks and property. Online and paper applications are handled by DesMarais Consulting LLC and are subject to a non-refundable $4,000 engineering review fee.
• Right of Entry Application Process Application process for authorization to enter NPBL right of way and property for surveys, geotechnical work, inspections, environmental investigations, and construction access. Administered by DesMarais Consulting LLC and subject to a non-refundable $1,500 ROE review fee.
• Switching Tariff 8100-J Published tariff (8100-J) governing switching services and rates offered by the Belt Line, available as a downloadable PDF document.
• Storage / Demurrage Tariff NPB 6004-B Published tariff (NPB 6004-B) governing storage and demurrage charges for cargo held at Belt Line terminals, available as a downloadable PDF document.

Quantifiable outcome

• Safe railroad operations equate to dependable, cost-effective railroad service

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DesMarais Consulting LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHandles all applications and right-of-entry requests for utility and wireline/pipeline crossings. Manages the permit application process including generating PDFs for applicants and routing to NPBL. Contact: [email protected] or (904) 574-0242.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Conrail Shared Assets Operations: Switching and terminal railroad in the Northeast jointly managed by CSX and Norfolk Southern — the same two Class I owners as NPBL. Closest governance and operational analog to NPBL's joint Class I ownership structure.
• New York New Jersey Rail LLC: Terminal switching/float operations railroad moving rail cars across New York Harbor between New Jersey and Brooklyn. Direct functional analog as a port-area terminal switching railroad serving industrial shippers.
• Indiana Rail Road Company: Regional/short-line railroad providing switching and line-haul services connecting industries to Class I networks, comparable in scale and industrial switching focus to NPBL's Hampton Roads operations.
• Belt Railway of Chicago: Largest terminal switching railroad in the U.S., jointly owned by Class I railroads, performing switching operations in the Chicago terminal district. Highly comparable to NPBL in business model (terminal switching, Class I interchange, industrial switching) though at materially larger scale.
• Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis: Terminal switching cooperative jointly owned by multiple Class I railroads, operating switching and terminal services in the St. Louis area. Direct functional analog to NPBL's multi-Class I-owned switching model.
• Portland Terminal Railroad: Terminal switching railroad operating in the Portland, Maine area, owned by Genesee & Wyoming. Comparable business model providing port and industrial switching services to a Class I network.

Regional players

• Wilmington Terminal Railroad: Short-line/terminal railroad serving the Port of Wilmington, Delaware with industrial switching operations. Operates in adjacent regional geography with similar port-rail switching focus as NPBL.
• Delmarva Central Railroad: Short-line railroad operating across the Delmarva Peninsula with industrial switching services. Comparable in scale and Class I interchange operations to NPBL, though serving a different geographic corridor.

Broad incumbents

• CSX Transportation: Major Class I railroad and 43% owner of NPBL. Provides line-haul service and interchange for NPBL-served customers; relevant as parent/customer and broader rail industry incumbent.
• Norfolk Southern Corporation: Major Class I railroad and 57% owner of NPBL. Provides line-haul rail service and connects NPBL-served shippers to the broader national network; relevant as parent/customer and broader rail industry incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norfolk-and-portsmouth-belt-line-railroad-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company