Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 3

Ridership Sees First Increase in Six Quarters

ublic transportation agencies in the U.S. reported the first ridership increases in 18 months— during the second quarter of 2010. These figures are 0.1 percent above those from the same quarter in 2009. According to APTA statistics, the largest quarterly increase by mode was in light rail, which was 4.2 percent above last year’s level. Buses serving populations under 100,000 reported a 3.1 percent increase; heavy rail was up 2.2 percent; and demand-response systems increased 1.6 percent. In the heavy rail sector, 11 out of

15 providers reported ridership growth for the quarter, led by MTA Staten Island Railway, up 9.1 percent; Baltimore, 7.2 percent; Philadelphia, 6.3 percent; and Chicago, 5.4 percent, a year after completion of a line reconstruction and service expansion. Fifteen of 28 light rail systems registered increases for the second quarter, led by Seattle’s Sound Transit, which rose more than 100 percent with the July 2009 opening of a new line; New Orleans, up 27.8 percent as system rebuilding continues; Phoenix, up 12.7 percent, including the addition of

late night service on weekends; King County DOT in Seattle, up 12.5 percent, service expansion to new neighborhoods began in the summer of 2009; and Portland’s Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, up 11.3 percent, with the September 2009 opening of a new line. Among commuter rail agencies, seven out of 25 noted increases, led by Nashville, 19.1 percent; Portland, OR, 10.4 percent; Harrisburg, PA, 9.5 percent; and Salt Lake City, UT, 9.3 percent. Two new commuter rail systems entered service in 2009: Northstar in Minneapolis-

St. Paul, MN, and Capital MetroRail in Austin, TX. Three out of the four U.S. trolleybus systems reported ridership increases: Philadelphia, 7.2 percent; Seattle, 3.6 percent; and Boston, 2.6 percent. Ridership increases were reported by seven out of 28 large bus systems. St. Louis led the mode with a 15.0 percent jump; the agency restored some service in April 2010 that it had reduced in March 2009. Baltimore followed with 7.1 percent; Boston, 4.8 percent; and Philadelphia, 3.8 percent.

Houston Metro Appoints Greanias President/CEO
HouSton’S Metropolitan Transit Authority
are confident he can complete the ambitious agenda set out of Harris County has named for the agency, including buildGeorge Greanias, a former ing light rail, improving the bus Houston city councilman and fleet, and transforming Metro city controller, its president & into a regional mobility partner.” chief executive officer. He has Greanias replied: “We have a served in this position on an great organization with a critical acting basis since May. mission . . . Metro has perhaps George Greanias Prior to joining the agency, the most critical function for Greanias was a partner at the Continubuilding the future of this community. ous Learning Group Inc., a behavioral For somebody who loves this city the management firm. way I do, and who is going to spend the Board Chairman Gilbert A. Garcia, rest of his life here, you cannot have CFA, said of Greanias: “The board and I given me a greater gift.”

MBTA Breaks Ground for Wonderland Parking Facility
tHe MaSSaCHuSettS bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA) broke ground Sept. 13 at the Wonderland Station in Revere, MA, for a seven-story parking facility with 1,465 parking spaces. The $47 million project, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and MBTA bond revenues, is part of the state’s Massachusetts Works program to promote job growth and long-term economic recovery. Plans for the facility include relocating the existing busway to consolidate parking and optimize transit services. The new garage will provide ample parking along with additional elements designed to create a multimodal transit facility integrated with the adjacent MBTA station. The parking structure will be part of the city of Revere’s Waterfront Square Development, a smart-growth, transitoriented development that ultimately will include 902 residential units, 145,500 square feet of office space, a

Participating in ground-breaking ceremonies for the Wonderland parking facility are, from left, MBTA General Manager Richard Davey, FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan, and Rep. Edward Markey.

Garling Joins Broward
tiMotHy S. GarlinG is
try, including both bus and rail joining Broward County Transit operations. While at PSTA, he in Fort Lauderdale, FL, as its implemented the Productivnew transit director. He comes ity Improvement Program to to Fort Lauderdale from the involve employees in the develPinellas Suncoast Transit Authoropment of efficient and costity (PSTA) in St. Petersburg, FL, saving operational measures. where he has been executive He is also credited with initiatdirector since 2007. ing partnerships among state, Timothy S. Garling “Tim is a seasoned transit regional, and local transportaprofessional with experience from exceltion agencies to conduct and plan for lent transit systems that have prepared mass transit projects including future him to lead this agency, and I enthusihigh-speed rail between Tampa and astically welcome him and look forward Orlando. to his contributions,” said Chris Walton, “Providing public transit service to director of the Broward County Transthe 16th largest county in the United portation Department. States,” said Garling, “offers significant Garling has close to 30 years of challenges and opportunities for me experience in the transportation indusprofessionally.”

100-room hotel, and 28,000 square feet of retail space. “The Wonderland project is a prime example of a strategic investment in transportation infrastructure that creates jobs today and spurs economic

WONDERLAND CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Cincinnati Metro Announces Garcia Crews as New CEO/GM
tHe SoutHweSt oHio
track record of success, and we Regional Transit Authority feel confident that her execu(SORTA) in Cincinnati, which tive experience will be an asset operates the Metro system, has to Metro,” said William Mallory appointed Terry Garcia Crews Sr., vice chair of the SORTA as Metro chief executive officer board and chair of the board’s and general manager, effective personnel committee that led Nov. 1. She is currently general the search for a new CEO. manager and president of Star Garcia Crews will be Tran Inc., which provides para- Terry Garcia Crews employed by Professional Transit transit services to the Capital Management, which provides Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro’s CEO and other professional serin Austin, TX. vices under contract to the SORTA board. A transit professional with more She currently serves APTA as a than 20 years of experience in both member of the Bus and Paratransit the private and public sectors, Garcia CEOs Committee and the Bus OperaCrews earlier served as general manager tions Committee. She formerly served and chief executive officer of LexTran as a regional director on the APTA in Lexington, KY, and assistant general Board of Directors and on the Small manager for Sun Tran in Tucson, AZ. Operations Steering Committee and As a national transportation consulDiversity Council. She also has served tant, she formulated strategic plans and on the Transit Cooperative Research awareness programs for transportation Program’s oversight and project selecsystems across the nation. tion committee, which awards funding “Terry Garcia Crews has a proven for transit research.

Sapa Names Stubbs CEO
Sapa, baSed in CreSSona,
PA, has appointed Tim Stubbs as its new president and chief executive officer. He most recently served as business area president for Sapa Profiles North America, and has been a part of Sapa’s executive team since the company acquired Indalex in August 2009. Stubbs began his career at Rio Tinto, assigned to the extrusion plant in Cheltenham—now a Sapa plant—where he was operations manager. After Sapa acquired Cheltenham in 1996, Stubbs was appointed marketing director and later operations director. He joined Indalex in North America in 2000 as business unit president, eastern Region, and was promoted to senior vice president, sales and marketing, in 2002 and chief executive officer in 2004. “I am very pleased that we have been able to recruit a Sapa-internal candidate to secure continuity and commitment to fulfilling our strategy. I feel confident that Tim, with his broad background from the extrusion industry, working in both Europe and North America and with experience from marketing and sales as well as operations, is more than fully capable to take over the CEO role in Sapa,” said board Chairman Bjørn Wiggen.

The cover photo was taken by Jeff Ramirez of VIA Metropolitan Transit. September 27, 2010 | 3

Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

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