Former CN and CP executive to lead Belt Railway of Chicago

The Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) has appointed longtime railroad executive Jerry Peck as president and general manager.

Peck, who started railroading in 1973 in train service with the Illinois Central, later worked for two decades at Canadian National (NYSE: CNI), ascending to general manager before taking the same position with Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP), in the U.S. East region. He most recently served as a consultant with Loram, a provider of rail maintenance-of-way services.

The Belt Railway is collectively owned by the six Class I railroads that connect to it in Chicago — BNSF, CN, CPKC, CSX (NASDAQ: CSX), Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), and Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP). It dispatches more than 8,400 railcars per day through its Clearing Yards just south of Midway International Airport, and operates 28 miles of mainline track with more than 300 miles of switching track.

“The Belt Railway Company has a long and important history in North American railroading and I am excited to continue to build on its legacy,” Peck said in a release. “Many people don’t realize the magnitude of importance that Chicago and the BRC plays in our economy and supply chains. I’m confident that my background and experience in operations, planning, and execution will serve the BRC well and will help develop the next generation of leaders in the railroad industry.”

Among other duties, Peck will continue working closely with partners at the state, local and federal levels to streamline railroad shipments as part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program.

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