For Immediate Release

Public Relations Division
Public Affairs Department
1170 Eighth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
(610) 694-3711 - Phone
(610) 694-1509 - Fax

BETHLEHEM, Pa., April 9, 1999 -- The Philadelphia, Bethlehem & New England Railroad, a subsidiary railroad of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, has received ISO 9002 certification in recognition of the quality of transportation services the railroad provides its customers at Bethlehem Steel's Bethlehem, Pa., complex.

The PB&NE is the switching and terminal railroad that moves materials in and out of the 1,800-acre plant on which several non-Bethlehem Steel businesses operate. The railroad is one of seven shortline railroads owned by Bethlehem Steel serving the corporation's business units and other customers located on the railroad's lines. The PB&NE interchanges with Conrail, soon to be Norfolk Southern, and Canadian Pacific.

"Over the past few years, the railroad has worked effectively to improve the quality of its services while expanding its business opportunities," said J. Michael Zaia, president of Bethlehem Steel's subsidiary railroads with headquarters in Bethlehem. "Our employees welcomed the opportunity to document the quality of their work and the satisfaction of their customers."

The PB&NE is only the fifth short-line railroad in the nation to obtain ISO 9002 certification issued in accordance with the International Organization of Standards anddocumented by AFAQ-ASCERT International, an independent registrar. ISO 9002 certification demonstrates the PB&NE's ability to satisfy customer railroad service requirements at agreed-upon performance standards. Those services include switching and train preparation; car, track and equipment repair; and equipment supply.

The PB&NE joins the Patapsco and Back Rivers Railroad, which serves Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point, Md., division, and Carrier Express, a trucking company, as Bethlehem Steel subsidiary railroad companies that have earned ISO 9002 certification.