UPDATE: NS confirms 200 furloughed in region - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

UPDATE: NS confirms 200 furloughed in region

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BLUEFIELD (WVVA) - Norfolk Southern has confirmed that 200 engineers and conductors have been furloughed.

Public Relations Director Robin Champan tells WVVA News the affected employees are from the Pocahontas Division, which includes much of southern West Virginia and western Virginia.

The employees were notified Friday.

The furloughs affect train service employees -- which includes engineers and conductors.

Champan says the employees furloughed were determined by seniority. He says those furloughed have been offered employment in other regions. Those regions include: Chicago, Elkhart Ind., Toledo, Oh., Cleveland, Conway, Pa., Altoona, Pa., and Harrisburg, Pa.

Champan blamed the need to furlough the employees on market conditions and a slowdown in coal shipments.

"We don't like to do this," Chapman said. "We'd much rather be moving lots of coal."

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