“A CSX SHORTLINE PARTNER”

William Drunsic, President

A true railroad man, William has over 40 years of direct Class I and Class III experience.  After graduating from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering, he made his first foray into the business as a field supervisor for the New York Central Railway.  In the seventies, with an eagerness to tap into his entrepreneurial instincts, William packed his bags and moved to Vermont where he started a railroad construction and rehabilitation business serving the Northeast region.   Supplementing his income with side consulting projects, he and a former NYCRR partner were solicited in the early eighties to assess the viability of reopening a former Tennessee branch line of the CSX railroad abandoned as a result of deregulation brought about by the Staggers Act of 1980.  Upon presentation of their analysis to the local rail authority, the partners were offered the opportunity to become operators of a 130 mile line on the verge of abandonment that originated in Nashville and terminated in Monterey.   Inheriting a poorly maintained right-of-way and a dwindling customer base, William and his partner gambled that the  line could be made profitable once again.  Twenty-two years and five short-line railroads later, William now presides over two very successful railroad operations and remains a commanding authority in the short-line industry.  In 2005, William also formed Transit Solutions Group which became the designated operator of the Nashville Music City Star commuter service.  Since its initial start-up in the mid-1980’s, the NERR has worked collaboratively with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Nashville and Eastern Railroad Authority (NERA) to invest over $80 million into essential rail infrastructure improvements. Over the years, 110 miles of main line and 130 miles of active track has been reconstructed, 85 bridges upgraded or replaced, and 3 miles of new branch-line built. Bill and his wife, Linda, are residents of Manchester, Vermont, and are the proud parents of two daughters, Amy and Aranda, and two sons, Michael, and Stephen.