Capital Metro

Pictured (left to right): Dottie Watkins, CapMetro; Andrew Barr, Hitachi Europe Ltd.; and Giuseppe Marino, Hitachi Rail.
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People News: CapMetro, DCTA, Hitachi Rail

Capital Metro (CapMetro) of Austin, Tex., names Dottie Watkins President and CEO. Also, Denton County (Tex.) Transportation Authority (DCTA) appoints four new executives, Maurice Bell, Sherrelle Evans-Jones, Bracey Goodwin IV and David Magaña; and Hitachi, Ltd. elevates Andrew Barr to Vice President and Executive Officer in charge of Regional Strategies (EMEA), and President of Hitachi Europe Ltd., and Giuseppe Marino to Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, a global supplier of rolling stock, signaling, service and maintenance, digital technology and turnkey systems.

SFRTA Names Dech Executive Director

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), which operates the Tri-Rail commuter rail service that links Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, has hired David Dech as its new Executive Director,

Pictured: Dottie Watkins, incoming interim CEO of Capital Metro (Houston, Tex.), and Daniel Comorre, Senior Project Manager of Urban Engineers (Los Angeles, Calif.).

People News: CapMetro, GCRTA, Urban Engineers

Capital Metro (CapMetro) of Austin, Tex., named Dottie Watkins interim CEO. Also, Greater Cleveland (Ohio) Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) elevated Janet Burney to Deputy General Manager, Legal Affairs/General Counsel, and consultancy Urban Engineers appointed Daniel Comorre as Senior Project Manager.

Paul J. Wiedefeld on May 16 retired from his role as General Manager and CEO of WMATA. His original retirement date was June 30, 2022.

WMATA: GM/CEO Wiedefeld, COO Leader Out (UPDATED)

Just one day after Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced that it was removing from service 72 rail operators due to a lapse in recertification, General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld decided to step down—weeks ahead of his expected retirement date—and Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader resigned, the transit agency reported late May 16.

Randy Clarke, incoming General Manager and CEO, WMATA

Clarke to Lead WMATA

Randy Clarke, current President and CEO of Capital Metro (CapMetro) in Austin, Tex., has been selected as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) new General Manager/CEO, succeeding Paul J. Wiedefeld. He will start in late summer, WMATA reported on May 10.

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25 UNDER 40

RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE: Railway Age is proud to recognize 25 “Fast Trackers” Under 40 in 2022.

Project Connect’s new 15-mile light rail Blue Line will run from Austin’s North Lamar neighborhood and U.S. 183 through downtown and on to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Austin’s Project Connect Receives TOD Grant

The $7.1 billion Project Connect bus and rail transit improvement initiative is moving forward in Austin, Tex. Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) has been awarded a $900,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for transit-oriented development (TOD) planning and anti-displacement efforts.