Amtrak has named Charles W. “Wick” Moorman as its next president and chief executive officer.
Moorman, retired chairman, CEO, and president of Norfolk Southern Corp. will lead the company, effective September 1, 2016, in the next fiscal year.
The federally owned railroad employs 1,000 in Delaware at office, training and operational sites in Wilmington and Bear. Wilmington is a busy station on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor route, with total traffic of nearly 650,000 passengers last year.
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Anthony Coscia, chairman of the board of directors of Amtrak said, “We are very pleased that someone with Wick’s experience and vision will lead Amtrak during this critical period as the company charts a course for future growth and improvement. 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.”
“It is an honor and privilege to take on the role of CEO at Amtrak and I look forward to working with its dedicated employees to find ways to provide even better service to our passengers and the nation,” said Moorman. “At Norfolk Southern, our team fostered change by placing a solid emphasis on performance across all aspects of our business which helped develop a stronger safety and service culture throughout the company. I look forward to advancing those same goals at Amtrak and helping to build a plan for future growth.”
Moorman, a native of Hattiesburg, MS, comes to Amtrak after more than 40 years at NS where he rose from management trainee to CEO and chairman of the Board of Directors. Having worked with NS from the ground up, Moorman gained an appreciation for the many facets of railroad operations and used this knowledge to modernize the way NS conducted business, served customers and worked with communities. A graduate of Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School, Moorman serves on the boards of Duke Energy Corporation, Chevron Corporation, the Virginia chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Moorman gained an appreciation for the many facets of railroad operations and used this knowledge to modernize the way NS conducted business, served customers and worked with communities. A graduate of Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School, Moorman serves on the boards of Duke Energy Corporation, Chevron Corporation, the Virginia chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Moorman succeeds current CEO Joe Boardman, who announced his intention to retire last fall. “I have been humbled to lead this extraordinary organization over the past eight years,” said Boardman. “I look forward to spending time with my family and wish Wick all the best as he brings his excellent experience to Amtrak.
Under Moorman, relations were not always smooth with Amtrak, with the federal carrier seeking an investigation into delays on tracks shared with Norfolk Southern on Chicago route.
Amtrak has seen growth in the number of passengers, even with lower gas prices. However, the aging system continues to struggle with service and safety issues. Two men, one a Delaware resident were killed earlier this year when an oncoming locomotive slammed into a backhoe east of Wilmington.
Despite tight budgets and losses that are part of nearly all passenger railroads, Amtrak has made progress in modernizing equipment and stations.
