LOGAN—The number of jobs lost in southern West Virginia continues to climb as Norfolk Southern Railroad announces layoffs of 200 engineers and conductors who run coal routes in the company’s Pocahontas Division that includes southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. Citing a declining demand to move coal in the area, the company says fewer trains are necessary, which also means fewer employees.
Spokesman Robin Chapman said, “There is hope for the coal business to come back, but the company sees these layoffs as permanent.”
According to Chapman, the company used seniority to determine which conductors and service personnel were affected. All of the employees have been offered positions in operations located in several midwest locations including Conway, Altoona and Harrisburg, Penn.; Elkhart, Ind.; Chicago, Ill.; and Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio.
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