Norfolk Southern adding 165 jobs in Norfolk

Norfolk Southern said Thursday it is investing $8.2 million and adding 165 jobs at its corporate headquarters in Norfolk. The expansion is due to the consolidation of the company’s Norfolk and Atlanta corporate offices and the closure of its Roanoke office building.

“We are excited about expanding our presence in the city and look forward to many years of continued growth and prosperity as we deliver freight across the state and throughout the country,” Jim Squires, Norfolk Southern president and CEO, said in a statement. 

Employees in Norfolk Southern’s industrial products, coal marketing, sourcing, tax, treasury, and audit and compliance departments relocated from Roanoke to Norfolk, bringing regional employment to 1,050.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $1.9 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Norfolk with the project.

Roanoke remains the headquarters for Norfolk Southern’s Pocahontas Division, and the company operates a local switching yard and locomotive and car maintenance facilities there. More than 1,350 Norfolk Southern employees are based in the city.

Norfolk Southern’s subsidiary, Norfolk Southern Railway Co., operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia. The company is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products. It employed 4,537 people in Virginia in 2015.