To no one’s surprise Friday, CSX Corp. announced James Foote as president and chief executive officer.
Foote, who was widely considered the likely successor to Hunter Harrison, was named acting CEO on Dec. 14 when Harrison took a medical leave.
Harrison died Saturday.
Foote, who previously worked with Harrison at Canadian National Railway Co., joined CSX less than two months ago as chief operating officer.
“I worked alongside Hunter for over a decade and his pioneering approach to railroading unlocked significant efficiencies and value, and we remain focused on delivering on this vision for CSX, our customers and our shareholders,” Foote said in a news release Friday.
“The execution of Precision Scheduled Railroading is well underway, with the most critical components of the implementation completed and beginning to generate measurable operating improvement,” he said.
Foote also said the company will provide an update on its progress and “showcase” its new management team at an investor day in March.
“Jim has decades of railroading experience and the board is confident of his ability to lead the company. He has already had a markedly positive impact,” CSX Chairman Edward Kelly said in a news release.
