by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:22 PM ET, Tue June 27, 2017
Amtrak announced Monday that it named former Delta Air Lines executive Richard Anderson as the rail company's next president and chief executive officer.
Anderson is a former CEO of Delta and Northwest Airlines and has 25 years of experience in the aviation industry. He is expected to take over his new role with Amtrak on July 12 but will serve alongside Amtrak's current CEO Wick Moorman through Dec. 31.
"Richard brings to Amtrak his experience running one of the largest global commercial air carriers," Amtrak Chairman of the Board Tony Coscia said in a statement.
"The board believes he is the right leader at the right time to drive the quality of customer service that our passengers, partners and stakeholders expect and deserve while continuing our path towards operational and financial excellence. The board also appreciates all that Wick continues to do to improve Amtrak's safety culture and strengthen our operating performance, including the important renewal work at New York Penn Station."
Moorman joined Amtrak in September 2016 and will stay on as an advisor to the company once Anderson takes over.
The 62-year-old Anderson served as Delta's CEO from 2007 to 2016 and was most recently the airline's board of directors' executive chairman. The aviation veteran also worked with Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines during his career.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Amtrak Helps Travelers Prepare for Summer Vacation[/READMORE]
"It is an honor to join Amtrak at a time when passenger rail service is growing in importance in America. I look forward to working alongside Amtrak's dedicated employees to continue the improvements begun by Wick," Anderson said.
"Amtrak is a great company today, and I'm excited about using my experience and working with the board to make it even better. I'm passionate about building strong businesses that create the best travel experience possible for customers."
In addition, Anderson was named Aviation Week's Person of the Year in 2015, and was recognized as one of the World's Best CEOs by Barron's magazine in 2014. He was also named to Fortune magazine's Top People in Business list in 2013.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
