Paul Wiedefeld
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Paul Wiedefeld was named Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (Metro) new general manager and chief executive officer. Wiedefeld will be formally appointed at Metro’s next board of directors meeting on November 19. Wiedefeld brings 30 years of public and private sector transportation management experience, formerly serving as CEO of the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where he managed the operations of an airport that served a (then) record 22.7 million passengers in CY 2012.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12135759
John Claflin
Transdev
John Claflin has been named Transdev’s general manager for the Cincinnati Streetcar project that Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) will launch in 2016. He will oversee the management and administration leading up to the launch and all aspects of the ongoing operations and maintenance for the streetcar service thereafter. Claflin’s most recent previous experience was as Transdev’s project manager and start-up manager for the design/build phase of Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s light rail system.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12135844
Arnold Isham
Cincinnati Metro
Cincinnati Metro promoted Arnold Isham to the position of director of Transit Operations, responsible for overseeing the delivery of Metro’s fixed-route services to the community. Isham has been with Metro for 23 years and began his career as a bus operator. He has held various leadership positions within Metro including serving as group manager, sector manager, street operations and on-time performance manager, station manager and most recently as assistant director of Transit Operations.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12135075
Lynn Cohoe
First Transit
First Transit announced Lynn Cohoe, regional safety manager, has been selected to receive the 2015 Senior Safety Professional Award from the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) in the provinces of British Columbia and Yukon. Cohoe joined the First Transit team in March 2014 as regional safety manager. She also serves on the board of CSSE as regional vice president. Cohoe’s other achievements include the CSSE Senior Safety Professional of the Year Award, the British Columbia Transit Leadership Award, and Team Achievement Award.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12137249
Glen Gendron
Prevost
Prevost announced the appointment of Glen Gendron as director, pre-owned sales. He takes over for Dann Wiltgen, who retired earlier in 2015. Gendron has been with Prevost for more than 19 years and gained a tremendous amount of experience over the years working as a regional parts sales manager, internal parts Sales and bid manager, new coach sales manager and sales coordinator with the commercial administration team.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12132668
Clinton B. Forbes
Palm Tran
Palm Tran announced that Clinton B. Forbes has been selected as the new executive director. Forbes is a seasoned leader with more than 27 years of experience in the public sector with 20 of those in public transportation planning, directing and senior management. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations for the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) overseeing 860 employees. Prior to that, he served as president of JAX Transit Management Corp., directing mass transit operations for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).
www.MassTransitmag.com/12133356
Matthew M. Murray
Stertil-Koni
Stertil-Koni announced Matthew M. Murray has joined the company as technical support manager, working out of the company’s North American headquarters in Stevensville, Maryland. Murray brings nearly two decades of experience in construction and project management, with a particular expertise in electrical controls, mechanical system testing, project oversight, along with the production of technical support documents. Murray is a U.S. Military veteran, having attained the rank of U.S. Army Sergeant.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12133560
Alstom, NTV Sign Contract for 8 Pendolino High-Speed Trains
Alstom awarded Euro460 million contract for 8 Pendolino high-speed trains and 20 years of maintenance with Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV). The first trains are scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
The Pendolino high-speed trains will be used to complement the existing fleet of 25 AGV Italo trains.
The Pendolino model destined for NTV can reach a speed of 250 km/h and is part of Alstom’s Avelia range, which includes Alstom’s high-speed and very high-speed trains across the world. The 187-metre-long train will be composed of 7 cars accommodating around 500 passengers.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12132273
LA Fund for Public Education and LA Metro Partner to Promote Girls Build LA
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has agreed to help promote the initiative Girls Build LA by placing 200 Girls Build LA displays on Metro buses and rail during the month of October.
Metro is also hosting an event for high school girls on November 12 to celebrate Girls Build LA. Students from schools in L.A. County will be invited to visit Metro Headquarters to learn about Metro’s employment opportunities from some of the women who have built successful careers in transportation.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12132577
Blue Water Transit Opens New Bus Center
The Blue Water Transit (BWAT) Bus Center opened, which is designed to improve BWAT’s downtown bus transfer process.
The new bus center’s two buildings, measuring 7,400 square feet, replace BWAT’s Quay Street transfer point. Other amenities that improve the passenger experience include heated waiting areas, ticket vending machines, and bus schedule displays. A convenience store operated by Community Mental Health will also open in the spring.
Adjacent parking areas have been repaved, sidewalks have been made wider, and walkways have been added to cross McMorran Avenue.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12132728
VVTA Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification
Victor Valley Transit Authority earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The High Desert transit agency earned the award for the environmental-friendly design and construction of two separate buildings on its 10-acre facility.
VVTA moved into its 28,820-square-foot administration and operations building and 15,750-square-foot maintenance building in November 2011.
The centerpiece of the 10-acre facility is a 1-megawatt photovoltaic solar system, which produces in excess of 100 percent of the electricity used on the campus. The solar canopies double as shaded parking, reducing air conditioning cooling time during daytime bus start up.
Both buildings received high marks for drought-resistant water conservation features due in part to a state-of-the-art underground storm water treatment and retention system. www.MassTransitmag.com/12132744
www.MassTransitmag.com/12132744
Westermo Awarded Network Equipment Order for Metro Trains
Toshiba International Corp. has awarded Westermo a $4.2 million order for the supply of communication network equipment. The Ethernet-based train switches from Westermo will be used to build the communication infrastructure on the new fleet of Series 7000 Rail Cars for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).
www.MassTransitmag.com/12133960
KCATA Experiences Record-Breaking Ridership for Royal Celebration
Nearly 200,000 rides were provided on the free Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) shuttles and regular routes during the Kansas City Royals’ celebration, shattering previous ridership records.
All of KCATA’s 256 buses were dedicated to the shuttle service, supplemented by 125 school buses and 40 Johnson County buses.
KCATA worked with KCMO police to ensure that people remained safe as they moved into and out of the downtown area.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12134580
Metro Transit Launches Maintenance Training Program
Metro Transit in Minneapolis-St. Paul is launching the Metro Transit Technician Program, which will provide participants college and career readiness training, support toward earning a degree and an internship with Metro Transit’s Bus Maintenance Department.
Metro Transit is leading the effort in coordination with Twin Cities R!SE and Hennepin Technical College. The Federal Transit Administration is supporting the effort with a $203,000 grant, part of a larger national effort to address a looming worker shortage in the transportation industry.
www.MassTransitmag.com/12135057
New Flyer Announces Acquisition of MCI
New Flyer Industries Inc. on Nov. 10, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Motor Coach Industries International Inc. (MCI) from an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners L.P. for cash consideration of $455 million subject to certain purchase price adjustments. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including U.S. antitrust and Canadian Competition Act approvals. Management currently expects the Transaction to close by the end of 2015.
Paul Soubry, New Flyer's president and chief executive officer commented on the acquisition, "We are thrilled to combine North America’s No. 1 brand in heavy duty-transit buses with North America’s No. 1 brand in motor coaches. We are very proud of our track record that focuses on employee engagement, customer satisfaction and shareholder value. We intend to build on this success with the addition of MCI and view this complementary business as an important step forward to diversification and growth in areas where we can leverage our OpEx, sourcing, manufacturing, parts distribution and service expertise."
www.MassTransitmag.com/12136881
