Amtrak’s next President and Chief Executive Officer is an experienced and deeply respected Class I freight railroader who brings more than 40 years in railroading to the position: Charles W. “Wick” Moorman, who recently retired as Executive Chairman of Norfolk Southern Corp.

Railway Age’s 2011 Railroader of the Year will take over Amtrak’s throttle on Sept. 1, 2016, on a $1 per year salary plus an annual bonus of $500,000 tied to performance goals. Moorman succeeds current CEO Joe Boardman, who announced his intention to retire last fall.

Moorman is only the second Amtrak chief executive with practical railroad experience since the legendary W. Graham Claytor, Jr., who ran Norfolk Southern predecessor Southern Railway from 1967 to 1977, retired from Amtrak in 1993 after 11 years. He was named Railroader of the Year in 1989. David Gunn, who began his career with the Santa Fe Railway in the 1960s, ran Amtrak from 2002 to 2005.

“I view this as public service,” Moorman told Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “Amtrak is important to the freight rail carriers, and to the country. This is something I really want to do, and I believe I can contribute to making Amtrak a better railroad. I’m sure the work will be interesting, and I hope it will be fun as well.” Moorman added that he “is not doing this for the money” (performance-based bonuses are extended to other Amtrak employees) and that he “has not been unhappy in retirement.”