Our Chief Operating Officer, Paul Duncan, has been recognized by Railway Age as one of ten 2023 Readers’ Influential Leaders. The fourth annual award recognizes individuals from the North American freight, switching/terminal and passenger railroad; rail transit; government agency; and supplier communities.

Appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2023, Duncan leads the teams that safely operate trains, design, and implement the company’s service schedules, as well as maintain and upgrade infrastructure and equipment. Departments reporting to Duncan include Transportation, Engineering, Advanced Train Control, Network Planning and Optimization, Network Operations, Safety and Environmental, and the NS Police Department.

Duncan is leading continuous improvement across Norfolk Southern’s Operations—and he is achieving results in a variety of areas. He is laser-focused on enhancing the culture of Norfolk Southern to one that starts every conversation with safety followed by a balanced approach to service, productivity, and growth.

Duncan is overseeing a comprehensive plan to enhance the safety culture at Norfolk Southern. Under his leadership, Norfolk Southern is enhancing its safety culture and engaging with leaders and our craft railroaders. He is leading efforts to drive a culture of respect based on listening to our craft railroaders and acting on their feedback.