Is Norfolk Southern a good company to work for?

Norfolk Southern has an overall rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on over 2,171 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 387 reviews)); "Good benefits and they take care of miltary" ((in 292 reviews)); "4. Good retirement that will follow you to another railroad if you decide to change employers" ((in 94 reviews)); "The people were great and very welcoming." ((in 85 reviews)); "good money and enough to support family" ((in 60 reviews))

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

"Lifestyle is awful and management is poor" ((in 160 reviews)); "No work life balance and always short staffed" ((in 126 reviews)); "hours are long and boring" ((in 73 reviews)); "CEO and upper management are horrible." ((in 48 reviews)); "Horrible Culture" ((in 30 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

(1,916 total reviews)

Mark George

29% approve of CEO

25% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.2

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 1,916 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

5.0

Oct 2, 2013

Norfolk Southern is a Super Family and a great work environment

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Leading edge technologies, open to new suggestions to make processes flow better, no micromanagement.

Cons

I've only got a one year contract

3.0

Sep 14, 2013

Train crew - still decent pay and benefits, secure job but demanding hours

Locomotive engineer (train operator)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Union negotiated pay, Company paid insurance (200.00 month copay) You can make very decent money if and when your seniority allows you to work the higher paying jobs, long hours, layovers, various shifts are still required. 401k, Dental. Extreme focus on safe operations.

Cons

Entirely too many company rules / Government regulations, Compensation is not adequate for responsibility. Discipline when applied is arbitrary and not uniform. Senor employees are expected to be responsible and held accountable for the inexperienced without compensation. Away from home more than average. Start times can be any time (24 hours) or i.e. no regular sleep hours. In my judgment very top heavy company.

5.0

Jul 5, 2013

It's pretty good.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If you are interested in transportation systems, NS will be your choice.

Cons

I still have not found any cons at this point.

Viewing 1834 - 1836 of 1,916 Reviews

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Norfolk Southern reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Norfolk Southern is a Super Family and a great work environment

Train crew - still decent pay and benefits, secure job but demanding hours

It's pretty good.

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