Amtrak names former Delta exec as new CEO

The CEO of Amtrak is stepping down at the end of the year.

Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman will be replaced by former Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson, who will begin his role on July 12, Amtrak announced Monday.

Amtrak welcomes new CEO Richard Anderson. https://t.co/MfhCeU613H pic.twitter.com/yuG38ObsZV

— Amtrak (@Amtrak) June 26, 2017

Until the end of the year, the two will serve as co-CEOs to ensure a smooth transition, Amtrak said in a press release.

{mosads}In a statement, Amtrak Chairman of the Board Tony Coscia said the company’s board believes Anderson 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.”

“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,” Coscia said in the statement.

Anderson called it an honor to join Amtrak.

“Amtrak is a great company today, and I’m excited about using my experience and working with the board to make it even better,” Anderson said in a statement.

Coscia told Politico that Moorman planned to serve in the position only temporarily. He said one of Moorman’s tasks was to “help us recruit a CEO of the company who will serve as a long-term CEO.”

“When I came to Amtrak, I had a clear understanding with my wife about how long I could do it,” Moorman said, according to Politico.

“And in fact, I have exceeded that, as she points out to me.”