Aadnesen to step down as Alaska Railroad's president, CEO

Christopher Aadnesen recently informed the Alaska Railroad Corp.'s (ARRC) board that he plans to step down as president and chief executive officer when his three-year contract expires in September. He assumed the post in mid-September 2010.

The board is deciding how to proceed with a search for Aadnesen's successor, said ARRC spokesman Tim Sullivan in an email.

Prior to joining the railroad, Aadnesen served HNTB Corp., where he led national freight-rail services for all seven Class Is. He previously was chairman and CEO of the Estonian Railways and founded Capitol City Group, a consulting firm in Austin, Texas, that specialized in rail transportation and logistics, management, strategic and business planning, and quality systems development.

Also during his 40-plus-year transportation career, Aadnesen held several executive positions at the Texas Mexican Railway and TFM S.A. de C.V., including chief operating officer and executive vice president, and spent two decades at Union Pacific Railroad working in nearly every department involved with railroad management.

ARRC — which marked its 90th anniversary on July 15 — is owned by the state of Alaska, but is incorporated and operates as a private business, providing both freight- and passenger-rail services.