Railway Age’s 2026 Railroader of the Year, Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr, is an accomplished fourth-generation railroader who began his career as a craft railroader and union leader, bringing decades of hands-on experience to his leadership. He has held a range of operational and management roles throughout his career and is known across the industry as a proven transformation leader with a strong track record of implementing scheduled railroading to achieve safety and service excellence.
Since being appointed EVP and COO in 2024, Orr has led railway operations—including safety, transportation, network planning, engineering, and mechanical—with a clear focus on performance, accountability and culture. His positive impact can be seen in multiple key performance metrics. These include the lowest FRA Personal Injury ratio at NS in a decade; a double-digit improvement in FRA Reportable Train Accidents; leading the rail industry in FRA Main Line Train Accident rates for 2024; and improved car-miles per day, decreased dwell, and increased velocity across the network. Orr’s “PSR 2.0” approach has driven rapid and sustainable improvements in service reliability and operating efficiency. He is committed to building long-term leadership capability across the organization, championing the launch of the Thoroughbred Academy, which is helping embed a culture of safety, service and operational excellence across all levels of the railroad. By investing in people and process, he is developing the next generation of railroaders, benefitting employees, customers and rail-served communities.
In Atlanta, site of Norfolk Southern headquarters as well as Inman Yard, a principal intermodal hub, John Orr and Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono talked about his long career and the transformational work he’s doing at NS.
