Joseph Houston Boardman (December 23, 1948March 7, 2019) was an American transportation executive.
Boardman served as commissioner of the
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation'' (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit sys ...
(NYSDOT) from 1997 until 2005, then led the
United States Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce rail s ...
until 2008, then served as president and CEO of
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
until 2016.
Boardman is the longest-serving NYSDOT chief and the second-longest serving head of Amtrak, after
W. Graham Claytor, Jr. in the 1980s. In 2014, ''
Railway Age'' magazine named Boardman its 51st "
Railroader of the Year".
Early life and military service
Boardman was a lifelong resident of New York State, born the second of eight children born and raised on a dairy farm in
Oneida County, which two of his siblings currently operate. In 1966, he volunteered for military service in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
, serving in
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
from 1968 to 1969. Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he studied Agriculture Economics at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1974, and graduated with a master's degree in Management Science from
Binghamton University
The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...
in 1983.
Career
Early positions
Boardman's first jobs in transportation were managing the transit authorities for the cities of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and
Utica in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
.
In 1981, he became the commissioner of public transportation for
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor whe ...
, which includes the city of
Binghamton.
He left government service in 1988 to start his own transportation management company, called Progressive Transportation Services.
New York Governor
George Pataki nominated Boardman in 1997 to serve as commissioner of the
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation'' (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit sys ...
(NYSDOT). Boardman went on to become the longest-serving commissioner in NYSDOT history, remaining in that position from July 1997 through May 2005.
During his term as commissioner, he also served a stint as chair of the
' (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT).
Federal Railroad Administration
In March 2005, Boardman was nominated by
President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
to become the administrator of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...
. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on April 28, 2005, and began working as FRA Administrator on June 1 of that year.
Boardman was the 11th Federal Railroad Administrator. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations for the nearly eight hundred-person organization. This included managing comprehensive safety programs and regulatory initiatives; enforcement of FRA safety regulations; development and implementation of national freight and passenger rail policy; and oversight of diverse research and development activities in support of improved railroad safety. During this time, he also served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB).
Early years at Amtrak career (2008–2009)
The Amtrak Board of Directors on November 25, 2008, announced that Boardman had been appointed to a one-year term as President and CEO of the railway to replace
Alexander Kummant
Alexander K. Kummant (born 1962) was named by Amtrak on August 29, 2006, as the railroad company's new president and chief executive officer effective September 12 of that year. He succeeded David L. Gunn in this position who was dismissed in No ...
.
In January 2010, Amtrak announced that Boardman's appointment had been extended indefinitely.
;Railway rescues
Amtrak has worked closely with states using stimulus funds to purchase 130 next-generation bi-level cars and 35 next-generation diesel locomotives to upgrade corridor service in the Midwest, California, and Washington State. Other major orders for new equipment are in the works, marking the beginning of a renewal of Amtrak's aging fleet. Using stimulus funds from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a Stimulus (economics), stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed ...
, Amtrak rescued from the wreck yards more than 90 railcars, rebuilt them, and put them into service. The added capacity allowed Amtrak's passenger totals to grow by record numbers, more than one million year-over-year in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and revenues increased as well.
Boardman led an effort to augment and replace Amtrak's fleet of high-speed
Acela Express
The ''Acela'' ( ; originally the ''Acela Express'' until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship passenger train service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern megalopolis, Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C. and ...
trains with about 28 new trainsets. The company issued a RfP (request for proposals) in December, 2013. Offers were due by May, 2014, with negotiations likely to continue until the end of the year before a contract could be signed. The new trains would substantially increase capacity on the
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
, where Amtrak shows an operating profit. Major new orders of equipment include 70 electric locomotives for the Regionals and the long-distance trains operating over the
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
. Another is for 130
Viewliner II diners, crew dorm-baggage cars, sleepers, and baggage cars to replace worn-out "Heritage" equipment (built before Amtrak was formed in 1971) for the Eastern long-distance trains. The first of the
ACS-64 electric locomotives entered service on February 7, 2014. The Viewliner II cars began service later that year.
Recent Amtrak developments (2013–2016)
In May 2013, Boardman signed to a two-year "renewable" contract. Board Chairman Anthony Coscia said, "We are extremely pleased with the progress Amtrak has made under the leadership of Joe Boardman".
Boardman's salary during 2013 was $350,000. At Amtrak, Joe Boardman oversees an organization that carried a record 31.2 million passengers and had $3 billion in revenue while employing more than 20,000 people in fiscal year 2013. Since Boardman’s appointment, Amtrak made progress cutting debt, purchasing new equipment, and improving infrastructure,
with cost recovery reaching a new company peak of 93% in 2014.
[Indianapolis-Chicago Amtrak service extended to April 1](_blank)
(Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, February 2, 2015) E-ticketing and electronic payment for on-board snacks, meals, and beverages have been put in place, as well as Wi-Fi on most trains. Boardman is perhaps the longest serving high-level Republican appointee under President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
.
On December 9, 2015, Boardman announced in a letter to employees that he would be leaving Amtrak in September 2016. He had advised the Amtrak Board of Directors of his decision the previous week. Boardman's successor, former
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
President & CEO
Charles "Wick" Moorman, was named in August 2016 and took over on September 1, 2016. P42DC unit 42 was later named after Boardman.
Personal life and death
Boardman and his wife, Joanne, had three children. He suffered a
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
while on vacation in
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
on March 5, 2019, and died on March 7.
Awards
''Railway Age'' magazine named Joseph H. Boardman as its 51st "
Railroader of the Year" in its January 9, 2014, issue, which featured a column about him and a printed interview with him.
A video of the interview can be seen at railwayage.com.
Boardman's name currently adorns the side of AMTK P42DC locomotive #42, a locomotive that is painted in tribute to America's Veterans from America's railroad.
See also
*
List of railroad executives
This is a list of railroad executives, defined as those who are presidents and chief executive officers of railroad and railway systems worldwide.
A
* Edwin Hale Abbot, Abbot, Edwin H. (1834–1927), Wisconsin Central Railway (1897–1954), WC ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, Joseph H.
1948 births
2019 deaths
People from Oneida County, New York
Military personnel from New York (state)
State cabinet secretaries of New York (state)
New York (state) Republicans
United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War
United States Air Force airmen
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni
Amtrak presidents
21st-century American railroad executives
American railroaders
American chief executives
Binghamton University alumni
People from Binghamton, New York
Administrators of the Federal Railroad Administration