Conrail has named John Wright its new president and chief operating officer, bringing aboard a freight rail veteran with decades of operating and executive experience.
Wright most recently served as general manager of Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, a 600-employee switching and belt-line railroad based in Hammond, Ind.
He succeeds Brian Gorton, who retired from the carrier headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J., and co-owned by Norfolk Southern and CSX. Conrail has approximately 920 employees, and operates 1,200 track-miles in the northern New Jersey, southern New Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit.
Wright began his railroad career in 1996 as a conductor for NS (NYSE: NSC) before moving into executive positions at CSX Transportation (NASDAQ: CSX). His roles there included assistant vice president of locomotive operations and division manager for the Baltimore, Atlanta and Great Lakes divisions.
“I am incredibly honored to step into this new role at such a pivotal time for Conrail,” Wright said. “Conrail plays a critical role in North American supply chains. I look forward to working alongside our dedicated team to drive operational excellence, strengthen our regional infrastructure, and deliver top-tier service to our customers.”
His stated priorities include improving operational performance, strengthening regional infrastructure and maintaining customer service.
Why it matters: Conrail is a unique eastern carrier managing local and switching operations as an entity jointly owned by two Class I railroads.
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