(Railfanning.org News Wire) — Conrail has named a freight railroad industry veteran whose career spans three decades across major Class I systems and switching terminal networks as its new president and chief operating officer.
John Wright takes the lead at the terminal and switching service provider after most recently serving as general manager of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, a 600-employee switching and belt line headquartered in Hammond, Indiana.
Wright began his railroad career in 1996 as a conductor for Norfolk Southern Railway. He later moved to CSX Transportation, where he held multiple executive leadership roles, including assistant vice president of locomotive operations and division manager for the carrier’s Baltimore, Atlanta, and Great Lakes operating divisions.
A U.S. Army veteran, Wright holds an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Ohio Christian University.
Today’s Conrail operates as Conrail Shared Assets Company, a switching and terminal service provider created during the 1999 split of the original Consolidated Rail Corporation between Norfolk Southern and CSX. The company manages trackage, yard switching, and industrial switching operations within three designated shared asset areas in North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit.
The original Conrail was established by Congress under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 and began operations on April 1, 1976, taking over six bankrupt Northeastern rail systems—led by the Penn Central Transportation Company—to preserve essential freight rail service across the region.
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