People news from New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway and HDR

New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYSW) has hired Patrick O’Donnell as chief mechanical officer. He will oversee shop and field operations, locomotive maintenance programs, regulatory compliance and capital improvement projects. Over the past decade, O’Donnell has been a rail safety and motive power and equipment specialist for the New York State Department of Transportation. Prior to that, he worked for NYSW as a locomotive machinist. His understanding of NYSW operations and regulatory background position him well for a management role at the short line, railroad officials said in a press release.

HDR has named three new regional transportation directors to support growth of the firm's transportation infrastructure consulting and engineering team. Tara Erwin has been named transportation director for Canada; Mike Estes as U.S. Northeast transportation director; and David Kinard as U.S. Southeast transportation director. As regional directors, the three will lead HDR’s consulting and engineering services for clients across all transportation markets. Erwin, Estes and Kinard have each been with HDR for more than a decade, serving in leadership positions and team members for large projects, according to an HDR press release.