Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr was honored as Railway Age’s 2026 Railroader of the Year on March 10 during the traditional dinner hosted by the Western Railway Club at the Union League Club of Chicago. Earlier in the day, he, in a discussion with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, closed out the Next-Generation Freight Rail Conference.
“Surrounded by family and friends last night, I was deeply honored and humbled to accept the Railroader of the Year award—and grateful for the opportunity to reflect on what this industry and its people mean to me,” Orr said. “Railroading has never been about one person. It’s about people, purpose and continuous improvement. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that if you’re standing still, you’re losing ground—and if you think you’re done learning, you have already lost. At Norfolk Southern, our PSR 2.0 transformation is anchored in safety and stability. Everything else depends on it.
“From there, we focus on building leaders at every level, pushing decision‑making closer to the work, and using data and curiosity to solve real problems—not just talk about them. PSR 2.0 ‘the evolution of railroading in the digital age,’ isn’t ‘either/or.’ It’s safety and service, people and process, reliability and profitability. When you invest in people and treat them as though they are full of capability, they become force multipliers for everyone around them. This recognition belongs to the many railroaders who show up every day to learn, adapt and move this industry forward—together.
“In his distinguished career as a railroader, spanning North America, John started in the field as a train and engine service employee,” Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono noted. “Today, as Chief Operating Officer of Norfolk Southern, he continues to spend most of his time in the field, where the work is performed 24/7. That says a lot. I am honored to have known him in a professional capacity for a long time. I’ve learned a lot from John through the experiences I’ve had accompanying him as he runs a railroad as few people can. But most meaningful to me, I am blessed to have him as a friend. Since 1964, when the first Railroader of the Year, Southern Railway’s Bill Brosnan—now a legend—was honored, few have been as deserving of this award as John Orr.”
