CSX names Foote to head operations, sales, marketing; Sanborn, Eliasson to resign

CSX Corp. reshuffled its top management ranks today, naming James M. Foote, who worked at Canadian National Inc. (CN) when current CSX President and CEO E. Hunter Harrison ran that railroad, to become CSX's chief operating officer. Foote will also head sales and marketing for the Jacksonville-based railroad.

Foote will replace Cindy M. Sanborn, executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Fredrik J. Eliasson, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, both of whom will resign effective Nov. 15. Sanborn and Eliasson will stay involved at CSX until early 2018 to aid with the transition, the railroad said.

Foote, a 40-year rail veteran, had been president and CEO of Bright Rail Energy, an Arvada, Colo.-based company that helps railroads transition to natural gas use to power their locomotives. He had been CN's executive vice president, sales and marketing, at the time Harrison was president and CEO of the Montreal-based railroad.

Harrison held the top post at CN from January 2003 to Dec. 31, 2009, before retiring. He returned to the industry in June 2012 as president and CEO of Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Railway. He joined CSX this past March.

Harrison, who turns 73 early next month, has a four-year contract to run CSX. There are no succession plans that have been made public at this time.