Norfolk
Southern expands its ‘Railroad University’ operations training center to better
equip graduates for customer service
MCDONOUGH,
Ga., March 18, 2015 –Norfolk Southern Corporation today held a ribbon-cutting
ceremony to celebrate the expansion of its “Railroad University” and redoubled
its commitment to superior transportation services for its present and future
rail customers.
“This
facility is all about investing in our people,” CEO Wick Moorman said. “The
better we equip and train our conductors, engineers, and other craft and
supervisory employees to do their jobs safely and efficiently, the more
opportunity we have to achieve and surpass the level of service our customers
expect and that we commit to provide.”
Moorman,
President Jim Squires, Executive Vice President Administration Cindy Earhart,
and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Manion were among
the first to tour a newly constructed building on the center’s campus at
McDonough, Ga., just south of Atlanta. The two-story expansion effectively
doubles the training center’s classroom space, from 27,000 to 50,000 square
feet. Today, even as some of the training center’s 21 staff members hosted tours
in the new building, others provided instruction for close to 400 employees next
door. The number of students could grow to 900 in the near future as the new
building is occupied. Employees in the new space will receive enhanced
technology-enabled interactive instruction, including use of tablets, touch
screens, and simulation training.
“After their classroom and practical experiences at the
training center, employees go on assignment with the tools and perspective to
make immediate contributions to the success of a 21st century
railroad and the customers and communities that depend on us,” said Dominik
Browne, manager of the facility.
When
it opened in December 1974, the center was the rail industry’s first dedicated
facility for training and educating employees and quickly was dubbed “RRU” or
“Railroad University.” Over the last 40 years, the career path for Norfolk
Southern conductors, engineers, track and signal workers, and others has gone
through McDonough and on to field locations throughout the company’s 22-state
rail network. Prior expansions at McDonough included classroom space for
supervisory and management courses in addition to technical training. Outside, 4
miles of track and a four-track rail yard complete with rolling stock give
students opportunity to take their classroom instruction into a real operating
environment.
About
Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern
Corporation
(NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk
Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000
route
miles
in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in
the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail
carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the
East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial
products.
Media
Inquiries:
Rick Harris, 404-529-2310 (rick.harris@nscorp.com)
Investor Inquiries:
Katie Cook, 757-629-2861 (InvestorRelations@nscorp.com)