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6/24/2026
Progressive Railroading and RailTrends® have named Genessee & Wyoming Inc. CEO Michael Miller the 2026 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry.
Miller joined G&W in 2010, serving as chief commercial officer for eight years and president of North American operations for five years before being named CEO of G&W — which owns more than 100 regionals and short lines in North America — in September 2023.
Earlier in his career, Miller was general manager of Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Modalgistics Supply Chain Solutions and served as Derivion's vice president of strategic development. He also held logistics-related positions at Georgia-Pacific and Roadway Express.
"Michael Miller speaks truth to power as an advocate for change and collaboration in the railroad industry and he has proven it is not just words, as a founding member of RailPulse," says independent transportation analyst Tony Hatch, co-founder and program manager of RailTrends. "And G&W continues to test new technologies, from working with Railspire on a project involving locomotive automation to working with Parallel Systems on a pilot involving battery-electric rail vehicles for autonomous container movements. And those are just a couple of examples."
Adds Progressive Railroading Editor-in-Chief Pat Foran: "Miller's embrace of change, and his view of rail as an ecosystem in which every rail industry constituent can play a role, make him a particularly effective leader at G&W and for these times. He's taking a collaborative approach in this connected, but not always so collaborative, industry. From this, he hasn't wavered. He continues to walk the talk."
Progressive Railroading and RailTrends previously presented Railroad Innovator Awards to Union Pacific Railroad's Jim Vena; Canadian Pacific Kansas City's Keith Creel (in 2024 and 2014); Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Alan Shaw; Watco’s Rick Webb; CN's JJ Ruest; CSX's Jim Foote; Kansas City Southern's Pat Ottensmeyer; AAR's Ed Hamberger; G&W's Jack Hellmann; CN's Claude Mongeau; CSX's Michael Ward; NS' Wick Moorman; UP's Jim Young; KCS' Mike Haverty; BNSF Railway's Matt Rose; and CN's Hunter Harrison.
Miller will receive the award during RailTrends 2026, which will be held Nov. 19-20 at the New York Marriott Downtown in New York City. For more information about the event, log onto RailTrends.com.