Norfolk Southern’s fourth-quarter profit falls 33%.

Norfolk Southern’s fourth-quarter profit fell 33% because of the ever growing costs of the cleanup of last year’s fiery derailment in eastern Ohio, but the railroad did deliver 3% more shipments during the quarter and even without the costs related to that toxic crash its profits still would have been down 14%. The Atlanta-based railroad says it earned $527 million, or $2.32 per share, during the quarter. That’s down from $790 million or $3.42 per share, a year earlier. Without the $150 million in additional derailment costs, Norfolk Southern would have made $677 million, or $2.83 per share. The railroad now estimates the total costs related to the East Palestine derailment last February near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border will top $1.1 billion, but that total will only continue to grow over time because the cleanup is still ongoing and Norfolk Southern faces lawsuits and additional penalties that haven’t been settled.