.His ouster follows two challenging years in the top work and also only times after the firm's board announced it was actually exploring him for declared moral lapses.The Atlanta-based railroad stated Shaw possessed an unsuitable unanimous partnership along with Norfolk Southern's primary lawful policeman, that was likewise terminated. Norfolk Southern ensured Principal Financial Police officer Spot George to become the railroad's next CEO.Shaw was actually leading Norfolk Southern in February 2023 when among its trains hindered, blew toxic chemicals as well as ignited in East Palestine, Ohio, the worst railway catastrophe in the last years. After that, activist financier Ancora Holdings attempted to take management of the railroad previously this year and also fire Shaw.He survived legislative hearings as well as tough neighborhood meetings after the East Palestine derailment, while guaranteeing to make Norfolk Southern the "gold standard for protection" in the business. He additionally managed to convince capitalists not to support most of Ancora's panel nominees. Three of its candidates carried out win chairs on the railroad's board, but that had not been sufficient to provide it control.The derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania boundary triggered the nation to re-examine railway security as well as led legislators and regulators to ask for reforms. However those proposals have actually mostly stalled, and also the business has actually produced simply low improvements since the derailment, including setting up much more trackside sensors to identify overheating bearings like the one that resulted in the East Palestine crash.The unsatisfying financial end results Norfolk Southern delivered after the derailment, combined with concerns concerning Shaw's technique of maintaining extra laborers handy during the course of a downturn, produced the railroad ripe for stress from a real estate investor like Ancora. Norfolk Southern's profits have actually consistently dragged the other significant railways that more aggressively taken on the healthy operating model that has actually become the sector requirement.