.His ouster comes after 2 complicated years in the leading work as well as simply times after the company's board revealed it was investigating him for affirmed moral lapses.The Atlanta-based railroad said Shaw had an improper unanimous partnership along with Norfolk Southern's chief lawful police officer, that was actually also terminated. Norfolk Southern marketed Main Financial Police officer Mark George to be the railroad's following CEO.Shaw was actually leading Norfolk Southern in February 2023 when one of its own learns derailed, blew hazardous chemicals as well as caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, the most awful railway catastrophe in the last years. At that point, activist client Ancora Holdings attempted to take command of the railroad earlier this year and also fire Shaw.He weathered congressional hearings and also hard area meetings after the East Palestine derailment, while guaranteeing to make Norfolk Southern the "gold requirement for safety and security" in the sector. He also dealt with to encourage clients certainly not to support the majority of Ancora's panel nominees. Three of its nominees carried out succeed chairs on the railroad's panel, yet that had not been sufficient to offer it control.The derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border triggered the nation to re-examine railroad protection and also led legislators and regulatory authorities to ask for reforms. However those propositions have actually largely stalled, and also the business has actually produced merely minimal improvements because the derailment, including installing even more trackside detectors to locate overheating bearings like the one that led to the East Palestine crash.The unsatisfactory financial results Norfolk Southern supplied after the derailment, integrated along with questions about Shaw's strategy of always keeping much more workers available during the course of a downturn, created the railroad enriched for tension from an investor like Ancora. Norfolk Southern's revenues have actually consistently lagged behind the various other primary railways that more aggressively taken on the lean operating style that has actually become the market standard.