Trump taps former Conrail president to lead FRA

Ronald Batory, who has more than 46 years of field and system experience in the railroad industry, retired as president and chief operating officer of Consolidated Rail Corp. on April 1.    President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Ronald Batory of New Jersey to become the administrator of the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the White House said Monday.
   Batory has more than 46 years of field and system experience in the railroad industry, according to Consolidated Rail Corp. (Conrail), a terminal and switching service provider for Class I railways CSX and Norfolk Southern.
   Batory was president and chief operating officer at Conrail until he retired on April 1. He had joined Conrail in 1998 as vice president – operations, and was appointed president and chief operating officer in 2004, Norfolk Southern previously reported.
   In 1994, he was named president of The Belt Railway Company of Chicago, a multi-owned switching and terminal subsidiary of the then nine competing Class I carriers, according to Conrail.
   Batory had also spent the first 23 years of his career working for eastern and western Class I railroads.
   The nomination was sent to the Senate yesterday, along with 11 other nominations for key positions in the Trump administration.
   “If confirmed, Ron Batory will be tasked with bringing our country’s aging rail network into the 21st century,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
   “When he comes before the Commerce Committee, I will seek firm, specific commitments from him with regards to rail safety and reliability, including assurances that he will ensure on-time nationwide installation of life-saving positive train control (PTC) technology,” he added. “The deadline for implementation of PTC is now just a year and a half away and the need for leadership at FRA could not be more urgent.”