Office profile

Norfolk Southern Headquarters & offices · Atlanta, Georgia

A white spiral stair rising beside the glass lobby — The spiral stair · © HOK

Lounge chairs and plants in a bright lobby with a curving stair — The lobby lounge · © HOK

Food hall with long tables under round wooden ceiling rings — The Commons food hall · © HOK

Green lawn and paths on a terrace between glass towers — A rooftop terrace · © HOK

Rows of monitors in a dark room lit with blue lines — The network operations center · © HOK

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Norfolk Southern · Atlanta, Georgia

A railroad's headquarters with a white spiral stair, a rooftop food hall, a daycare and a 24/7 network operations center for its trains.

The 2021 Midtown Atlanta headquarters, the benefits and the move from Norfolk, Virginia — then the pay. Every number from Norfolk Southern's own filings and press release, and from the interior designer's project page.

750,000 sq ftheadquarters, opened 2021
3,000employees working in the building
24 hoursfitness center, for shift workers
$118,895median employee pay, 2025

See inside the office Benefits

Sources: Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021) · HOK project page · Proxy statement 2026

Companies / United States / Railroads / Norfolk Southern

THE HEADQUARTERS · 650 WEST PEACHTREE STREET NW, ATLANTA

A spiral stair, a food hall on the roof and a room that runs the trains

Two glass towers of 10 and 17 stories are joined by a five-story podium. A white, Corian-clad circular stair spirals up from the lobby. On the fifth floor, the Commons food hall serves sushi, ramen and pizza and opens onto rooftop terraces; the Wye, a first-floor café, is open to the public. A network operations center on the fourth floor, lit in blue, has train dispatchers working around the clock. There is a 24-hour fitness center, a game room with foosball, ping pong and billiards, and a daycare with train-track designs on the floor. Every employee has an assigned sit-stand desk.

750,000 sq ft (≈ 70,000 m²)
10- and 17-story towers
Rooftop terraces
24-hour gym
On-site daycare
LEED Gold

The spiral stair

The Corian-clad steel stair swirls down to the lobby's front desk, with LED lights visible underneath.

Looking down a white spiral stair with wood treads — Down the stair · © HOK

A tall lobby with sofas and the white stair behind — The lobby · © HOK

Front desk with a gray wall of small artworks — The front desk · © HOK

A long lounge by tall windows overlooking a steel sculpture — Lounge above the plaza · © HOK

Food and coffee

The fifth-floor Commons food hall can turn into a town hall; the Wye café on the first floor is open to the public.

Food counters and booths in a bright food hall — Food counters · © HOK

A café counter with a sign reading The Wye and a train mural — The Wye café · © HOK

Ping pong and billiard tables under a tin ceiling — The game room · © HOK

Work, rail history and wellness

Double-height break rooms link pairs of floors, and legacy railroad names appear on walls and floors.

Double-height break room with booths and a green ceiling — A double-height break room · © HOK

Rows of desks by windows with people at work — Workspace · © HOK

A long boardroom table with a screen and framed photos — A conference room · © HOK

Large N and W letters on a wall beside booths — A Norfolk and Western lounge · © HOK

Gallery with a horse photograph and a sofa — Gallery lounge · © HOK

Exercise class in a fitness room with a large mural — The fitness center · © HOK

The daycare

A daycare on the first and second floors has reading nooks built into the walls and train tracks on the floor.

Play area with a train track pattern on the floor — Train tracks on the floor · © HOK

Reading nooks and a bookcase in a children's room — Reading nooks · © HOK

In Midtown Atlanta

Two glass towers in Tech Square, one block from a MARTA station, with a weathered-steel sculpture on the plaza.

Two glass towers above street trees at an intersection — From the street · JJonahJackalope / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Glass tower behind trees and parked cars — West Peachtree Street · JJonahJackalope / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Facts: HOK project page “Norfolk Southern Headquarters” · Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

Headquarters, Midtown Atlanta

Building	Address
Corporate headquarters	650 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Source: Form 10-K 2025 cover · See them on the map ↓

Interior designHOK

Core and shell designPickard Chilton

Size750,000 sq ft (≈ 70,000 m²)

Site3.4-acre campus in Tech Square

OpenedNovember 10, 2021

CertificationLEED Gold

Source: HOK project page · Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

Benefits (United States)

Retirement401(k) + Railroad Retirement

A 401(k) plan, plus Railroad Retirement Board benefits that pay monthly for life to the employee and spouse.

Mental health8 free sessions

Eight free therapy sessions and a free meditation and sleep app.

FamilyAdoption + surrogacy

Enhanced adoption assistance, a surrogacy assistance program and family-building support.

ChildcareOn site

A daycare center on the first and second floors of headquarters.

Fitness24-hour gym

A fitness center open around the clock at headquarters, plus discounts at 11,900+ fitness centers.

FoodFood hall

The Commons food hall with rooftop terraces, and the Wye café.

Source: norfolksouthern.com, Benefits at NS · HOK project page · Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

Why people stay: what Norfolk Southern itself reports

Since 1827A long line of railroads

The company traces its railroads back to 1827; names and logos of legacy railroads are set into the headquarters' terrazzo floors.

≈ 80%Railroad employees under union agreements

About 80% of the railroad's employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements with labor unions.

8 sessionsFree therapy

Employees get eight free therapy sessions plus a free meditation and sleep app.

OngoingEngagement surveys

The company uses ongoing employee surveys to find initiatives that boost engagement.

Source: Form 10-K 2025 · norfolksouthern.com, Benefits at NS · HOK project page

Who works here

≈ 19,300

employees at the end of 2025

≈ 19,400

average employees during 2025

≈ 80%

of railroad employees under union agreements

Source: Form 10-K 2025

Pay at Norfolk Southern

Median employee · total compensation, 2025$118,895

Across about 19,300 employees. The CEO earned 137 times this amount.

Source: Proxy statement 2026 (CEO pay ratio)

Pay by ageNot published

Norfolk Southern doesn't publish pay by age.

Office history: from Norfolk, Virginia to Midtown Atlanta

1827
The first lines
The company's railroad history starts in 1827; its presence in Georgia dates to the mid-1840s.
Source: Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
1982
A merger, headquartered in Norfolk
Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway merged to form Norfolk Southern. The headquarters was in Norfolk, Virginia, while operations and technology leadership were in Atlanta.
Source: Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

The former headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia · William Grimes at English Wikipedia / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
2021
One headquarters in Atlanta
Norfolk Southern opened its 750,000 sq ft headquarters in Midtown Atlanta on November 10, 2021, bringing about 3,000 employees together.
Source: Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

The Atlanta headquarters and plaza sculpture · © HOK
2025
An agreement with Union Pacific
On July 28, 2025, Norfolk Southern agreed to be acquired by Union Pacific.
Source: Form 10-K 2025

No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.

Map: how the headquarters moved

From Norfolk on Virginia's coast to Midtown Atlanta, about 800 km southwest.

Loading map…

1 · 1982Norfolk, Virginia — Headquarters after the merger
2 · 2021650 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta — Headquarters today

Places: Norfolk Southern press release · Form 10-K 2025 · Locations: OpenStreetMap (city-level for Norfolk)

What Norfolk Southern does

Norfolk Southern runs a major freight railroad in the Southeast, East and Midwest, carrying raw materials, industrial products and finished goods, and the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S.

One railroad business, Norfolk Southern Railway, serving 22 states. In July 2025 it agreed to be acquired by Union Pacific.

Revenue, 2025$12.2Bup from $12.1B

Employees≈ 19,300end of 2025

Revenue per employee$0.63M$12.2B ÷ 19,300

Source: SEC XBRL data · Form 10-K 2025 · per-employee figure calculated by eciffo

Growth: revenue vs. people

1.2×revenue, 2020 → 2025
$9.8B → $12.2B

1.0×employees, same years
≈ 19,100 → ≈ 19,300

YearRevenueEmployees

FY2020

$9.8B

19,100

FY2021

$11.1B

18,100

FY2022

$12.7B

19,300

FY2023

$12.2B

20,700

FY2024

$12.1B

19,600

FY2025

$12.2B

19,300

Revenue: SEC XBRL data from Norfolk Southern's 10-K filings. Employees: Form 10-K (year-end). Multiples calculated by eciffo.

Chief executives

No free-to-use photo.

today

Mark R. George

President and Chief Executive Officer.

Formed in 1982 by the merger of Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway.

Source: Proxy statement 2026 · Norfolk Southern press release (Nov 10, 2021)

Norfolk Southern: questions people ask

Where is Norfolk Southern's headquarters?

At 650 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30308.

Source: Form 10-K 2025

When did the Atlanta headquarters open?

On November 10, 2021.

Source: Norfolk Southern press release

What is inside?

A white spiral stair, the Commons food hall with rooftop terraces, the Wye café, a 24-hour fitness center, a game room, a daycare and a network operations center for train dispatchers.

Source: HOK project page

Who designed it?

HOK designed the interiors, Pickard Chilton the core and shell, and HKS was architect of record.

Source: HOK project page

Where was Norfolk Southern's old headquarters?

In Norfolk, Virginia, from the 1982 merger until the move to Atlanta.

Source: Norfolk Southern press release

How many people work at Norfolk Southern?

About 19,300 at the end of 2025; about 3,000 work at the Atlanta headquarters.

Source: Form 10-K 2025 · press release

How much do Norfolk Southern employees make?

The median employee's total compensation was $118,895 in 2025; the CEO earned 137 times that.