Watching Washington

Commentary

STB’s New Chair Eyes Market Remedies

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE, MARCH 2025 ISSUE: Amidst the societal chaos midst the societal chaos unleashed on official Washington by POTUS 47, a point of light is his choice of six-year STB veteran Patrick J. Fuchs, age 37, to chair the independent (from Executive Branch) Surface Transportation Board (STB), whose five members are Senate confirmed with the President selecting one to control the docket.

Amtrak CEO Stephen J. Gardner. (Amtrak Photograph)
Commentary

Amtrak’s Gardner: His Legacy on the Line

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE, JANUARY 2025 ISSUE: He’s a 50-year-old railroad CEO without a private aircraft or opulent corner suite. Although he superintends the only transcontinental railroad, his compensation package is a fraction of that of his peers. Darting suit-jacketless about the office, dress shirt loosely tucked, he is easily mistaken for Stan from accounting. Don’t be fooled. Amtrak CEO Stephen J. Gardner, facing an ultimate test, is better prepared than any Amtrak CEO before him—and it’s not a B-List.