Amtrak appoints William J. Flynn as new CEO and President

Credit: Amtrak

Amtrak has announced that William J. Flynn has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer and President, and will succeed the role from Richard Anderson as of 15 April 2020. Richard, who fulfils his three-year commitment to the company this year, will remain with Amtrak through to the end of the year as a senior adviser to William.

William is a seasoned business leader with four decades of transportation and logistics experience. He has been a successful leader across multiple modes of transportation – including rail, maritime and aviation – throughout his career.

On the subject of his appointment, William said: “Amtrak’s future is incredibly bright and I’m excited to join the team. Amtrak service is vital to millions of Americans across the nation and by improving the customer experience, driving safety, and strengthening our partnership with states and other stakeholders, we can do much more for the American people. Tony, Richard and Amtrak’s dedicated employees have done an amazing job modernising the company for the 21st century. It’s a privilege to join them in continuing this work and advancing something as important as Amtrak’s mission.”

During 2019, Amtrak set new records in ridership, revenue and earnings, and is set to achieve operational break-even for the first time in it’s 49-year history in 2020. The company is now investing billions in capital assets and is undertaking the its largest ever fleet renewal, with new high-speed Acela trains entering service on the Northeast Corridor in 2021.

Tony Coscia, Amtrak Board Chairman, said: “We’ve never been stronger as a company than we are today. We are modernising the customer experience and delivering our service to more people. William has a consistent track record of growing and improving complex transportation businesses. We are confident he will build upon the strong foundation of record-setting growth and improvement set by the Board, Richard and the entire Amtrak team.”

Current CEO and President of Amtrak, Richard Anderson, said: “I congratulate the Board on selecting William to lead Amtrak into its 50th year and beyond. William brings deep expertise across all aspects of transportation and a true passion for the customer. As the company re-fleets our equipment, expands our services and advances key infrastructure projects like the Gateway Program, it will require the steady leadership and relentless drive for improvement that I know William can provide.”