Last Updated on August 8, 2023 at 5:04pm
ATLANTA, August 8, 2023 – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) announced Tuesday that it has purchased property for a new, permanent field office in East Palestine. Located at 248 North Market Street, the new location will house Norfolk Southern functions in East Palestine for the long term.
Among the areas the office will support will include community engagement and operational functions. Since the February derailment, the company has leased space from Centenary United Methodist Church to accommodate its various teams. Eventually, the Family Assistance Center located at Rebecca Place in East Palestine will relocate to this permanent field office, but for the short term, the Family Assistance Center will remain at its current location.
“We’ve pledged our long-term commitment to East Palestine and this permanent field office is a physical symbol of that pledge,” said Alan H. Shaw, President and CEO of Norfolk Southern. “For the past six months, we’ve been leasing space at the Centenary United Methodist Church. The church has been a home away from home for hundreds of Norfolk Southern employees and contractors, and the congregation’s warmth and willingness to open their doors to us will never be forgotten.”
Building renovations will begin this fall. Among the work will be updating the exterior with a brick façade to better match the aesthetic of the downtown district of East Palestine.
“This permanent location is a testament to Norfolk Southern’s dedication to working hand-in-hand with the residents of East Palestine,” Stacey Mansfield, Director of Community Affairs at Norfolk Southern. “Our team looks forward to serving the community through our new field office and establishing a home for the long term.”
The new office is located just across the street from the company’s historic train depot, which Norfolk Southern is donating to the East Palestine community after completing exterior renovations. The depot renovations will stabilize and revitalize the structure, leaving the interior a blank slate for the East Palestine community to determine its use.
To date, Norfolk Southern has committed $68 million to East Palestine and the surrounding communities. Learn more at: NSMakingitRight.com.
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About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country’s population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
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