NS To Close Down Roanoke

[NW Mailing List]

> TO:      ALL NORFOLK SOUTHERN EMPLOYEES
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> Norfolk Southern to cease operations at two Roanoke, Virginia, facilities
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> Rail operations and more than 650 employees will remain in the Roanoke Valley
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> As part of ongoing transformation at our company, Norfolk Southern today is announcing plans to close the Roanoke Distribution Center and transfer the work and positions at Roanoke Locomotive Shop to Altoona, Pennsylvania.
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> “These are difficult but necessary decisions to ensure that we maintain the right mix of people and facilities, in the right locations, to operate efficiently and deliver best-in-class service to our customers,” said Chief Operating Officer Mike Wheeler. “As we build a railroad for the future, these actions will strengthen our company’s competitiveness in the marketplace and generate long-term benefits for all of our employees.”
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> Approximately 85 mechanical positions at the locomotive shop will be affected. These employees will be offered the opportunity to transfer to our Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona and will be eligible for relocation benefits. Nineteen clerical positions between the shop and the distribution center will be eliminated. The furloughed clerical employees will have the opportunity to apply for available positions elsewhere on the Norfolk Southern system.
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> The Roanoke and Juniata locomotive shops are operated as heavy repair and overhaul shops. Likewise, the company operates distribution centers in Roanoke and Altoona that store and distribute mechanical parts to locomotive shops system-wide. As Norfolk Southern continues to evaluate our operations and network, the company determined we could no longer support two separate heavy-repair facilities and distribution centers. The company has experienced a 48% decline in coal tons shipped since 2008, with further declines expected. In addition, we are operating with a leaner locomotive fleet, down 22% since late 2018, reducing the locomotive maintenance and repairs required to operate safely and efficiently.
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> Wheeler acknowledged that the decision to close the Roanoke Locomotive Shop represents a historic change for the company. Norfolk Southern predecessor railroad Norfolk & Western began operating the shop, then Roanoke Machine Works, in 1883. The shop once built steam locomotives.
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> “We honor and recognize the proud heritage of employees who work at the Roanoke Locomotive Shop,” Wheeler said. “At the same time, we recognize that we must transform how we operate our company to keep pace with today’s ever-evolving markets and business environment.”
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> Currently, it is anticipated that employees at the Roanoke Locomotive Shop will continue working there through approximately May 18, while distribution center personnel will work through approximately April 18.
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> Roanoke will remain a vital part of Norfolk Southern’s network. The company will continue its presence and operations there, with more than 650 employees in the Roanoke Valley.