Top US railroad official quits after reports of moonlighting

Washington

HEATH Hall has resigned as a top official with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), a US Department of Transportation (DOT) official said.

His departure follows a report that he was also working as a public relations consultant for the Madison County, Mississippi, sheriff's office.

His firm continued to collect payments from the county between July and December, although Mr Hall - who was appointed to the FRA in June - had pledged in a federal ethics form that the firm would not be active while he worked at the department, Politico reported on Saturday.

The DOT was unaware of the information being reported regarding outside work that Mr Hall took on during his time at FRA, the agency said.

Documents from the FRA have variously referred to Mr Hall as "acting administrator", "deputy administrator" and sometimes both. His brief tenure at the FRA highlights an ongoing issue in President Donald Trump's administration, where many key positions are unfilled. Among transportation agencies alone, both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration are run by temporary heads. BLOOMBERG