Is Norfolk Southern a good company to work for?

Norfolk Southern has an overall rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on over 2,170 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 35% of employees would recommend working at Norfolk Southern to a friend and 25% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Norfolk Southern have been left by employees working as Intern , Track Supervisor and Management Trainee .

Does Norfolk Southern pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Norfolk Southern employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Norfolk Southern. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Norfolk Southern?

35% of Norfolk Southern employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Norfolk Southern 2.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.4 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Norfolk Southern?

Railroad Conductor (202) , Conductor (98) , Locomotive Engineer (59) , Freight Conductor (43) , Engineer (37) , Signal Maintainer (35) , Trainmaster (33) , Intern (29) , Electrician (26) , Machinist (26) , Manager (24) , Train Dispatcher (24) , Train Conductor (19) , Operations Supervisor (18) , Management Trainee (15)

What are the pros of working at Norfolk Southern according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is good but you are paid for the on call lifestyle and selling your life way for a paycheck." ((in 380 reviews)); "Good benefits and ability to promote within" ((in 299 reviews)); "4. Good retirement that will follow you to another railroad if you decide to change employers" ((in 92 reviews)); "The people were great and very welcoming." ((in 82 reviews)); "the money was good and it was easy work" ((in 56 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Norfolk Southern according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management, have to pay for parking, having to bid on jobs" ((in 167 reviews)); "No work life balance and always short staffed" ((in 128 reviews)); "hours are long and boring" ((in 83 reviews)); "CEO and upper management are horrible." ((in 47 reviews)); "Transportation managers have it rough." ((in 28 reviews))

What are employees saying about Norfolk Southern layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Norfolk Southern layoffs and their outlook for job security at Norfolk Southern in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Norfolk Southern locations?

Atlanta , Norfolk , Roanoke , Chicago , Bellevue , Conway , Fort Wayne , Pittsburgh , Harrisburg , Elkhart , Birmingham , Toledo , Altoona , Chattanooga , Decatur , Macon , Louisville , Cleveland , Cincinnati , Knoxville , Charlotte , Columbus , Saint Louis , Savannah , Greensboro , Enola , Greenville , Detroit , Sheffield , Peru

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern reviews

2.9

35% would recommend to a friend

(1,915 total reviews)

Mark George

30% approve of CEO

25% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.1

Diversity & inclusion

2.9

Career opportunities

2.4

Culture & values

2.3

Senior management

2.2

Work/Life balance

Norfolk Southern has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,915 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Norfolk Southern employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transportation & Logistics industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

Nov 8, 2016

Ruined my familys' life.

Conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay, Great co-workers, Great Retirement. Great vacation, great medical, flexible schedule after seniority kicks in.

Cons

Can't wait to fire you, they actually hide in the bushes, who does that ... not to mention the WORTHLESS UNION that was paid into for over 20 years. Lost my career, lost my life.

4.0

Nov 6, 2016

Freight Conductor

Freight conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is good. For the most part the work is steady if you are in a high volume rail hub like I was. The benefits are some of the best in any industry. The retirement plan is solid. Co-workers were generally easy to work with. I loved my job and wish now that I had never left.

Cons

Feast or famine. If you are on an extra board that is saturated you will work very little. If there is not enough manpower to cover the board, you will live at the yard(s) your board covers. You are at the mercy of management for your job status, but if your union rep is worth anything you can sometimes get around that. Mandatory promotion to locomotive engineer and if you fail any part of the training twice you no longer have a job.

1.0

Oct 30, 2016

conductor

Railroad conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

actual work is very easy

Cons

bosses are encouraged to catch employees doing anything they could to punish employees for. its not a team atmosphere no matter how much they try to portrait it

Viewing 43 - 45 of 1,915 Reviews

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Ruined my familys' life.

Freight Conductor

conductor

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