Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) appointed Brian Barr as chief operating officer, effective June 1, 2026, according to a company statement.

Barr has worked at Norfolk Southern for two years leading the mechanical department. He brings 28 years of railroad industry experience, including more than a decade leading transportation teams in the eastern United States. As COO, he will oversee the company's railway operations, including safety, transportation, network planning, engineering and equipment maintenance.

"Brian is the right leader for Operations, bringing a strong commitment to safety, broad railroading expertise and a proven ability to build a fast, resilient network that earns customer trust every day," said CEO Mark George.

Barr replaces John Orr, who decided to depart from his executive vice president and chief operating officer role. Orr will remain as a special advisor to the board chair through June 30, 2026, when his employment terminates and he retires from the company July 1, 2026. Following retirement, Orr will continue as a special advisor through either the Union Pacific merger closing or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

During his career, Barr held leadership positions at CSX including senior vice president operations and chief mechanical officer. At Union Pacific, he served as senior vice president transportation. He began his career in 1998 as a craft dispatcher at Conrail.

Since joining Norfolk Southern in September 2024, Barr led improvements in the mechanical team's safety performance, reducing Federal Railroad Administration reportable injuries and mechanical-caused derailments.

Barr holds a business administration degree from Bellevue University and completed Harvard Executive Education's Executive Leadership Forum.