Anacostia names new president for Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Anacostia Rail Holdings

Todd Bjornstad, formerly the general manager of the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E), has been named president of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad Company (CSS), effective March 1, 2016, succeeding Andrew Fox.

 

Fox will assume the role of chief executive officer for a transitional period, after which he will join CSS parent company Anacostia Rail Holdings.

Bjornstad has 25 years of experience in the rail industry. He had been general manager of the RCP&E, which consists of 700 miles of rail line in South Dakota and Minnesota, since its acquisition by Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) from Canadian Pacific in June 2014. His other roles within G&W included vice president of transportation for G&W’s Midwest region and vice president of customer service for RailAmerica in Jacksonville, Fla. Prior to that, he had been with Union Pacific for 17 years.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity. Anacostia is a reputable company in the industry and I feel very fortunate to be given a leadership position at the Chicago South Shore. I look forward to working with everyone there,” said Bjornstad.

Fox has been the president of the CSS since 2010, when he joined the railroad after 13 years at another Anacostia Rail Holdings railroad, Pacific Harbor Line (PHL). He was essential in helping the PHL get launched and served as its president since its inception in 1997. He joined PHL following a 23-year career with Southern Pacific, where he held various posts in the operating, finance and executive departments.

“We are gratified that Todd Bjornstad will be taking a leadership role at CSS and Anacostia,” said Peter Gilbertson, president of Anacostia Rail Holdings. “His experience and entrepreneurial approach will add great value. We are pleased that Andrew Fox will continue to make senior-level contributions to Anacostia.”

 

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