August 24, 2016

Amtrak announced last week that Charles “Wick” Moorman, the former CEO of Norfolk Southern, will become President and CEO of Amtrak effective September 1, 2016.

Moorman, a graduate of Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School, was a 40-year man at NS (and before that at the Southern Railway), working his way up from management trainee to CEO and chairman of the board before retiring in 2015.

Moorman was selected by the Amtrak Board of Directors. Board chairman Anthony Coscia said “Under CEO Joe Boardman, and with the support of the Administration and Congress, Amtrak has achieved record levels of performance and investment.  The Board believes Wick can build upon this success in the coming year by launching initiatives to further enhance safety and customer service, modernize our operations, and guide our implementation of the FAST Act.”

Moorman will be in an interesting position vis-à-vis his previous employer. Amtrak operates several routes over NS lines (including the Crescent, just like in the song). Ongoing complaints about NS failing to give enough priority to Amtrak trains will be litigated before the Surface Transportation Board.

It has not yet been decided what will become of Moorman’s substantial stock holdings in NS. Moorman is accepting a $1 per year salary at Amtrak but is eligible for up to $500,000 in incentive pay.