Norfolk Southern to close Roanoke office building

Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to will close its office building in Roanoke, relocating the functions handled there to Atlanta or Norfolk.

The move affects about 500 employees currently working in marketing, accounting, information technology and other departments. Norfolk Southern said they will have the option to relocate with their positions.

“This will not involve any involuntary force reductions, and we will provide substantial relocation packages for those who choose to relocate,” James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern’s president, said in a statement. “Norfolk Southern has been a proud corporate citizen of Roanoke for more than 130 years, and that will not change. While our profile may be reduced, Roanoke will remain a key location in our network, and we will remain engaged in the community.”

Roanoke is the headquarters for Norfolk Southern’s Virginia Division. The company said it will continue operating a local switching yard and locomotive and car maintenance facilities at Shaffer’s Crossing and a locomotive overhaul and rebuilding facility in its East End Shops. About 1,700 people now work for Norfolk Southern in Roanoke.

Norfolk Southern said it is closing the Roanoke office building to achieve departmental synergies, to make better use of its real estate assets and to support its goal of streamlining its management workforce.

The company said it is evaluating which positions will be shifted to its Norfolk corporate headquarters or its operational headquarters in Atlanta. Some “regionally oriented positions” will remain in Roanoke, the company said, but will move to other locations in the area.

The Roanoke office building, built in 1992, has more than 203,000 square feet of space. The company said disposition of the building will be determined at a later date.