Norfolk Southern plans to resume freight service on its Bulls Gap–White Pine line in East Tennessee, local broadcaster WJHL has reported, restoring rail capacity on a corridor that links the Norfolk Southern network near Morristown with industrial traffic in Jefferson County.

The line runs roughly 25 miles between Bulls Gap, on NS's Knoxville–Bristol route, and White Pine, a junction point northeast of Morristown where the corridor connects toward Newport and the broader East Tennessee rail network. The announcement signals the return of scheduled freight movements after service on the route had been suspended, though the operator has not detailed the cause of the interruption in the local report.

For shippers in the corridor, the resumption matters mainly for capacity and cost. Rail service on short-haul regional lines typically removes truck movements from local roads and gives industrial customers a direct connection into Norfolk Southern's national network, which interchanges with other Class I railroads at major gateways. White Pine in particular sits near a cluster of distribution and manufacturing activity in Jefferson County, and rail access there ties those facilities into NS's lines toward Knoxville and the Southeast.

Norfolk Southern has not published a specific date for the first train, according to the WJHL report, and the company has not said whether the resumption will involve daily or as-needed service. Local short-haul branches on Class I networks frequently operate on a switch-and-run basis rather than to a fixed public timetable, and customers along the route will learn service frequency through their commercial contacts with the railroad.

The Bulls Gap–White Pine corridor sits within Norfolk Southern's East Tennessee operating territory, an area the railroad has invested in as part of its broader network strategy. NS has been working across its 22-state network to improve freight fluidity and service reliability following the operational disruptions of recent years, and branch-line restorations such as this one form part of that effort at the regional level.

No figures on traffic volume, tonnage, or the number of customers served on the line appear in the initial report. Norfolk Southern has not commented beyond confirming the planned resumption of service, and the railroad's public timetables and customer notices are expected to carry operational details as the reopening takes effect.

Rail industry watchers in East Tennessee will be looking for confirmation of the first movement in the coming weeks, along with any indication from Norfolk Southern on whether the restored service will support existing customers only or whether the railroad sees potential for new freight on the route.