(The Associated Press circulated the following article on April 30.)
WASHINGTON –Federal Railroad Administration chief Allan Rutter said Friday he is leaving his post in June for a position with a Texas transportation organization.
Rutter cited family reasons for his decision to step down.
His new position will be deputy executive director of the North Texas Tollway Authority.
A native of Texas, Rutter said he looks forward to moving back to his home state.
The Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees rail safety, said that under Rutter’s leadership as administrator, highway-rail crossing fatalities dropped to a record low, the rate of train mishaps declined and rules were strengthened on quiet zones near rail lines. The agency also credited him with improved management of federal appropriations to Amtrak.
Rutter became railroad administrator in July 2001. He was President Bush’s transportation policy director in Texas when Bush was governor.
The Federal Railroad Administration is part of the Transportation Department.