Former CSX CEO Jim Foote dies

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Tony Hatch.

CSX this morning announced that former President and CEO Jim Foote has died. He served as the Class I's top leader from December 2017 until September 2022. 

"Jim's leadership was instrumental in guiding CSX through a transformational period in our company’s history, advancing CSX to new heights, marked by record operating and financial performance," said Joe Hinrichs, CSX’s current president and CEO, in a prepared statement. "We are appreciative of Jim's contributions to the company and the entire railroad industry. The ONE CSX team mourns Jim’s passing and our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those whose lives were affected by his presence."

Prior to becoming CEO, Foote was CSX's executive vice president and chief operating officer. At the time, he played a pivotal role in aligning CSX's departments and advancing the scheduled railroading operational model pioneered by the late E. Hunter Harrison, CSX officials said. Foote also is credited with driving important advancements in innovative technologies and safety enhancements, they added.

Foote began his railroad career at age 18 in Superior, Wisconsin. In addition to his contributions at CSX, his career included senior executive roles at Soo Line Railroad, the Chicago and North Western Railroad and CN.

Independent transportation analyst Tony Hatch said last night in a Facebook post that Foote was his "oldest continuous friend in the rail business" since the two met in 1989 on a train. That meeting launched a "lifetime friendship and also, for me, a career of learning from him that continued up to this year," Hatch wrote. 

"He was a critical conduit to the investment community in the IPO of the Canadian National in '95," Hatch added. "Then he rose and rose, to chief marketing officer, and eventually then CSX."

Hatch noted that Foote's last speech was delivered at the annual RailTrends® conference in November 2022. Hatch is the program consultant for RailTrends, which is presented by Progressive Railroading.

"And of course, [Foote] knocked it out of the park!," Hatch wrote. "I was hoping for a long time of fun and fishing after his wonderful career; he didn't get that but left an enduring legacy in railroading and a loss to all his many friends."

In 2020, Progressive Railroading awarded Foote with the magazine's annual Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievements in the rail industry.