The Surface Transportation Board continues to strengthen the Rail and Transportation Advisory Board.
Ryan Rutledge, president and CEO of short-line operator Pinsly Railroad Co., has been appointed to a three-year term as the representative of small railroads on the railroad regulator’s Rail Transportation and Shipper Advisory Council (RSTAC).
“I am honored to represent the Pinsly Railroad Company and small railroads across the country on the RSTAC committee,” Ratledge said. “I look forward to the opportunity to positively impact the industry by contributing to RSTAC’s goals.”
The 15-member RSTAC provides advice and recommendations on regulatory, policy, and legislative issues to members of the STB Board, the Secretary of Transportation, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Members include representatives from BNSF, Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC ), CN (NYSE: CNI ), OmniTrax, RJ Corman, Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM ) and the TD-SMART Railroad Alliance.
However, the panel did not directly address matters pending before the regulator involving the proposed merger of Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP ) and Norfolk Southern, an $85 million blockbuster deal that would transform the U.S. rail industry.
With 30 years in rail transportation, Ratledge has led privately held Pinsly’s expansion from two to nine short lines in seven states since 2022, as well as acquisitions in warehousing, transformers and transportation.
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