NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern will be suspending operations in observance of the Christmas Day.
In an announcement online, railroad officials state that NS will not accept trains for interchange from 7 a.m. Dec. 24 through 10 p.m. Dec. 25. Railroad operations will cease completely at 3 p.m. Dec. 24 through 10 p.m. Dec. 25. This includes road trains, yard switchers, and local trains servicing customers.
NS road operations will run as regularly scheduled over the New Year’s holiday. Yard/local operations will operate as governed by volumes and customer needs.
As a railroader I worked WAY more holidays than had off, my wife a flight attendant did the same, we adjusted holidays to our schedule, no big deal.
This is nothing new.Norfolk Southern did the samething last year in 2016.Sat last December 24th near NS & CSX tracks & didn t see a thing in several hours
Mr Ash, as a retired OTR driver, yes I took many Christmases off. The company I drove for did not force drivers to work through Christmas. This included several Christmases where drivers were flown home and back(at company expense as well as the company plane).
How you treat employees comes back to either haunt or reward you. Treat your employees well, and especially when times are tough it especially comes back to reward you. Treat your employees poorly and when times are tough your employees are the first to abandon ship, and your company is in bankruptcy.
It isn’t the fact the employees don’t deserve the time off for the holidays, it just demonstrates the nature of how the railroad industry has fewer and fewer critical movements that must go through 24/7 other than a couple of Amtrak trains anymore.
During my 40 years at Amtrak, there were plenty of holidays – including Christmas – which I had to work. It’s something that comes with the territory, as it does at hospitals, police and fire stations, and ambulance barns. Kudos to NS for being a class act in endeavoring to let its employees spend one holiday with their families and friends. Once again, NS shows itself to be a class act!
And to all those first responders and military folk out there who have no such time off … God bless you all for your sacrifices and service!
At James Simms:I did that too, Thank you for remembering us Veterans during Christmas!!!
Robert Ash, most of the truckers will have Christmas off also, I hope you can forgive us railroaders for having a day off to spend with our wives families, some things are more important.Lord knows I missed every other holiday this year!
Those bad mouthing the corporations just remember there will be thousands of soldiers, sailors, & airman overseas unable to be @ home for the holidays, some will be walking or flying patrols in Afghanistan, Iraq, & on the Korean DMZ.
I will feel bad about not working Christmas only when the top brass at BNSF, NS, CSX, Big Yellow, and all of the other majors show up for work on Christmas.
Most shippers who continue to operate 24/7 through the holiday compensate for holiday service annulments by loading and shipping early and increasing the number of empties held on track. I work for a chemical company and this how we do it.
Holiday service annulments aren’t new and generally are not an inconvience to most shippers.
Very nice, more companies should follow their lead.
Nice. I’m sure the employees appreciate it. I hope they, and all, have a Blessed Christmas.
It’s because most new hires quit after they been ………. to work during Christmas , its only taken the railroad only 150 years to realize that, most the lowest on the seniority totem pole. Ive worked the railroad also, I know!
Very nice.
See if what trucks are shutting down for the Holiday? How times change. Apparently, NS does not have any customers that require 24 365 service.
Awesome