NORFOLK Norfolk Southern Corp. said Tuesday that its first-quarter profit rose 2.1 percent in spite of a slowing economy, yet the results fell short of Wall Street's expectations. The Norfolk-based railroad's income in the January-through-March period was $291 million, up from $285 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has settled a lawsuit filed by a textile company that closed after a 2005 train wreck and toxic chemical spill in Graniteville, S.C., the Norfolk-based railroad said Monday.