Amtrak Names New CEO Amid Penn Station Mess

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Amtrak is starting Penn Station's "Summer of Hell" with a new head. The embattled transportation company named Richard Anderson as its new president and CEO. He will start July 12 after a 25-year career in the aviation industry that included stops as chief executive at Delta and Northwest Airlines, the rail company announced Monday.

Anderson and current CEO Wick Moorman, who joined Amtrak in September 2016 after making his name in the freight train industry, will serve in a co-CEO capacity until Dec. 31 to "ensure a smooth transition," Amtrak announced.

"Richard brings to Amtrak his experience running one of the largest global commercial air carriers. 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," Chairman of the Amtrak board Tony Coscia said in a statement.

"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."

Anderson, 62, most recent gig was executive chairman of the Delta board of directors after serving as the company's CEO from 2007-2016. He will begin his tenure just two days after Amtrak's scheduled Penn Station summer "infrastructure renewal" project — which has become colloquially known as the "summer of hell."

Starting July 10, Amtrak will launch an aggressive infrastructure construction project to replace its deteriorating track infrastructure at Penn Station — which is the country's busiest transportation hub at nearly 600,000 daily commuters. The work is expected to last until September 1, after which Amtrak will relax its construction schedule to weekends only.

During the construction period Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit will all be forced to alter their service schedules and provide commuters with additional transit options into Midtown Manhattan and back to their homes.

Despite the "summer of hell" new CEO Anderson seems excited to begin his tenure at Amtrak.

"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 in a statement. "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."

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty Images