(The following story by Kevin Flanigan appeared at wearecentralpa.com on December 2, 2008)
ALTOONA, Pa – As the National Economy continues to struggle, one local employer says they are seeing a surge in business. Over the last couple of years, the railroad business has been booming. While operations may have slowed down during the current recession, the people in charge of Norfolk Southern say their financial outlook remains strong.
Norfolk Southern has about nine hundred and fifty employees at the Juniata Shops in Altoona. And while so many other industrial giants are struggling in the current economy, at least at Norfolk Southern, business remains strong. A delegation of top managers of the Norfolk Southern Corporation spent a good part of this day taking an end of the year tour of the company’s Blair County facilities. During an early afternoon stop at the Altoona Railroader’s Museum, the Company’s C-E-O, Wick Moorman, says despite the troubles in the national economy, the last couple of years have been good for railroads in general. Despite a slow fourth quarter, their freight hauling remains strong.
Driven in part by higher fuel prices, Norfolk Southern reports more interest in shipping by rail. That means more wear and tear on the company’s locomotives which in turn means more business for the Juniata shops. Based on the quality of the work that is done in the Juniata shops, Norfolk Southern reports that the company is still getting plenty outside repair work from other railroads that can be done here. That in-sourcing of work means that at lest for the time being, the railroad shop jobs in Blair county appear to be safe. Norfolk Southern says it is currently not looking for any employees in Blair County but there are openings in other parts of their system, particularly in the Harrisburg area for train crews.