A former aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, who has held the No. 2 position at Amtrak, was named the new CEO of the government-owned passenger railroad.
Stephen J. Gardner will succeed Bill Flynn who is retiring after leading Amtrak since April of last year.
Gardner will take over the post on Jan. 17.
Gardner currently serves as Amtrak’s President, leading the railroad’s day-to-day operations, customer growth initiatives and strategies to modernize Amtrak’s products, services, infrastructure and fleet, a release stated.
Flynn led Amtrak through COVID-19 recovery efforts and will continue as a senior advisor to Gardner and the company for the remainder of the fiscal year following his retirement. Under Flynn, Amtrak retained operations in northern Delaware and purchased a downtown Wilmington building to house some of those operations.
Amtrak employs 1,000 in Delaware
Gardner has been with Amtrak since 2009 serving in a variety of roles including Chief Operating and Commercial Officer.
“I’m truly humbled and honored to assume this role for America’s railroad,” Gardner said. “With the help of the bipartisan infrastructure investment, I’m excited about working with our state, commuter and freight rail and federal partners to improve our assets, renew our fleet and expand Amtrak service to more communities. Having started my railroad career as an Amtrak intern, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime to help lead the incredible team of dedicated men and women at Amtrak.”
Prior to Amtrak, Gardner worked as senior staff on the Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation & Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security. Previously he served as Legislative Assistant for Transportation for Senator Tom Carper and Congressman Bob Clement.
Early in his transportation career, Gardner held various operating and managerial positions with Guilford Rail System’s Maine Central Railroad in Maine and Massachusetts, and the Buckingham Branch Railroad in Virginia.
Gardner, 45, received his BA from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, and resides in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.
Gardner will preside over an Amtrak with more stable sources of funding, thanks to the recently passed infrastructure bill that will address the century-old infrastructure along its Northeast Corridor system.
The funding is also expected to lead to expansion of service in some parts of the nation. Amtrak will also roll out a new generation of Acela trains and diesel locomotives to replace its aging fleet.
He will still face serious challenges that include sometimes tense relations with freight railroads in areas where it shares trackage.
Gardner comes with a combination of rail and government experience that differs from his predecessors, who were long-time transportation industry executives nearing retirement.
Flynn is a former air freight executive, while his predecessor Richard Anderson headed Delta Airlines. Anderson drew fire for cost-cutting efforts and plans to reduce nationwide service
He comes with a combination of rail and government experience that differs from his predecessors, who were often long-time transportation industry executives nearing retirement.
Flynn is a former air freight executive, while his predecessor Richard Anderson headed Delta Airlines. Anderson drew fire for cost-cutting efforts and suggested route changes that are commonplace in the airline industry.
