ATLANTA – Trains are rolling again on Norfolk Southern’s Heartland Corridor after flooding on the route in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia and eastern Ohio due to a storm that began last Friday.
Both mainline tracks were operational as of midday Thursday, NS said in a customer advisory. Service between Portsmouth, Ohio, and Bluefield, West Virginia, had been restored Tuesday but was closed again after subsequent washouts near Williamson, West Virginia.
The railroad has advised customers to expect residual delays over the next 72 to 96 hours due to the volume of backlogged traffic.
“Our thoughts remain with those who have been impacted by the severe weather event, especially the families mourning a loss of life and severe property damage. We are donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate and long-term recovery needs,” the railroad said in a statement Thursday. “Additionally, we have two programs in place to assist Norfolk Southern railroaders who have been impacted. Our teams have been working safely and urgently to restore service on affected routes, ensuring access for the region and our customers.”
NS is encouraging employees to donate to the Red Cross, with a 2-to-1 match, and will continue hosting blood drives throughout the year to support the Red Cross’ overall mission.
NS also said it will launch an Employee Hardship Fund in the coming weeks. The new initiative is designed to support railroaders and their families during natural disasters, medical emergencies or other qualifying events — ensuring help is available when it’s needed most. The activation will retroactively cover employees impacted by this incident and others, like Hurricane Helene. The program will be in addition to existing programs that NS activates when the Federal Emergency Management Agency declares a natural disaster.
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