Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC Quick QuoteNSC - Free Report) recently announced the appointment of John Orr as its executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. John Orr is succeeding Paul Duncan.

Orr will monitor Norfolk Southern's railway operations, including safety, transportation, network planning and operations, engineering, and equipment maintenance. He will be reporting directly to Norfolk Southern president and chief executive officer Alan H. Shaw.

John Orr’s Prior Expertise

Orr is joining Norfolk Southern from Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP Quick QuoteCP - Free Report) , where he has been working as executive vice president and chief transformation officer and monitored network operations planning and design, labor relations, and regulatory affairs. During his tenure at Canadian Pacific, Orr also supervised the integration and optimization of operations following Canadian Pacific Railway's acquisition of Kansas City Southern in December 2021.

Prior to Canadian Pacific, he had worked as an executive vice president of operations at Kansas City Southern, where he executed precision scheduled railroading initiatives focusing on improving service.  

He began his career at the Canadian National Railway (CNI Quick QuoteCNI - Free Report) in 1985 as a conductor. During his tenure at CNI, Orr held a variety of positions, including chief safety and sustainability officer and was recognized for driving numerous process improvements, mentoring programs, and progressive safety culture initiatives.

To Conclude

Orr began his career as a craft railroader and worked as a union representative for 15 years.

Considering Orr’s track record of operational excellence, experience as a frontline railroader and four decades of broad industry experience, the appointment of Orr marks a strategic move on NSC’s part. Notably, Orr has earned fame in applying scheduled railroading principles to drive sustainable long-term value creation.

Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern’s president and chief executive officer, stated, "John is a deeply respected and accomplished leader, and is the right chief operating officer to ensure execution of our strategy of balancing safe service, productivity, and growth. He has a proven ability to build strong relationships with customers, regulators, unions, and industry partners. His performance history as a disciplined and thoughtful operator makes him an ideal fit as we look to execute our balanced strategic plan that will deliver top-tier earnings and revenue growth at industry competitive margins. John recognizes a high level of service is critical to delivering for our customers and for sustaining growth. I have full confidence Norfolk Southern is positioned to execute our ground-breaking strategy, leveraging our unique franchise strengths."