CSX Corp. President and CEO Hunter Harrison is taking a medical leave “due to unexpected complications from a recent illness,” the company announced Thursday night.
James Foote, who joined CSX last month as chief operating officer, is serving as acting CEO.
The 72-year-old Harrison's health has been a concern since he was brought in to CSX in March.
The company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in June that Harrison has “a respiratory condition that requires him to use supplemental oxygen.”
Harrison's hiring was cheered by investors, who expected him to improve operations at Jacksonville-based CSX based on previous success at other major railroads.
However, as Harrison implemented his new operating system, called Precision Scheduled Railroading, customers have complained about service interruptions.
Harrison has been saying recently that the problems are behind CSX, and Foote echoed that in a news release announcing Harrison's medical leave.
“I believe that the battleship has turned, the Precision Scheduled Railroading framework has been put into place, and the company has amassed the critical talent – through education of the internal team and supplementation with a complement of strong PSR operating veterans and a strongly supportive board – sufficient to follow through and execute on the PSR operating plan,” Foote said.
“Because the team has implemented a foundation consistent with Hunter’s vision, I do not see any reason to diminish our expectations concerning the pace and magnitude of our future progress.”