WASHINGTON, D.C. — David L. Gunn, who headed Washington’s Metro system until 1994 when his combative style ran afoul of regional politics, was named president of Amtrak, the Washington Post reported.
Gunn, whose appointment becomes effective May 15, will replace George Warrington, who left Amtrak after several years of political and financial turmoil to head rail operations at New Jersey Transit.
Gunn comes to Amtrak in the darkest hour of its nearly 31-year history. The passenger train system, which was established as a private corporation but receives public funds, is losing money heavily even though ridership is growing. It has laid off hundreds of workers.
Amtrak is so tight on cash that it cannot repair more than four dozen wreck-damaged rail passenger and mail cars stored in Indianapolis. Although Amtrak was envisioned as a rail passenger system that would span the country, many railroad experts have questioned whether the corporation can continue to run its long-distance routes, which generally lose the most money per train.
Gunn issued a statement saying, “I have always been a proponent of a strong national passenger rail network.” A source close to Gunn pointed out that “national” network has become a code word for long-distance trains. He said Gunn had chosen that phrase deliberately to send a clear message that he is not coming to Amtrak to kill long-distance passenger trains in favor of short-corridor operations.
Gunn, 65, has headed several major transit operations. He was president of the New York City Transit Agency and general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority before coming to Washington in 1991, and he was chief general manager of the Toronto Transit Commission until 1999, when he became a transportation consultant.
Gunn also has freight railroad experience. He worked for the New York Central and for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, later becoming an assistant vice president at the Illinois Central Gulf. He then went to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority as director of commuter rail and later director of operations.
Gunn, who lives in rural Nova Scotia, said that he took the job because he considered it a challenge and that Amtrak is in a critical time and needs help. “Railroading has been my life,” Gunn said in a short interview. “If I can do something to turn the momentum around, then I should. There’s not much time.”
He is taking over the job at a time when the Bush administration is struggling to come up with a policy for Amtrak’s future. Congress is unlikely to make any substantive changes to Amtrak’s structure this year but probably will not be able to avoid substantive action next year. Meanwhile, congressional appropriators are struggling to locate enough money this year to keep Amtrak from collapsing before then.
Gunn turned down the Amtrak job once before. According to friends, he was wooed heavily by Amtrak after he left the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority, but he steadfastly refused.
Gunn had a stormy passage at WMATA. He came to Metro saying “I don’t do politics,” and he proceeded to prove it. He acknowledged at the time, “If I have a weakness, I’m probably more goal-oriented than a consensus builder.”
After less than two years, he accused the Metro board of breaking its promises to let him hire and fire his staff. He effectively announced his plans to leave when his contract expired in a Washington Post interview, rather than telling the board first.
“He’s as smart as anybody I know,” a friend of Gunn’s said. “He’s as savvy as anybody I know. This doesn’t make sense. Someone must have promised him something.”
Amtrak Board Chairman John Robert Smith, mayor of Meridian, Miss., issued a statement saying that Gunn brings an “exceptional experience and leadership skills” to Amtrak.
Organized rail labor offered limited congratulations to Gunn. Byron A. Boyd Jr., president of the United Transportation Union, said Gunn has a reputation of poor relationships with labor unions, but, “We will start with a clean slate and not permit our thinking to be prejudiced by his reputation.”