Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
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12 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 PEOPLE & PLACES Motor Coach Industries Inc. Guy Charron has joined Motor Coach Indus- tries Inc. (MCI) as vice president, regional sales eastern Canada. Charron is succeeding Joe Simard, who is retiring after an 8-year career at MCI and 31 years in the industry. Charron will be responsi- ble for MCI and Setra new coach sales as well as the sale of pre-owned coaches to private and public op- erators in Quebec and the Maritime provinces. Charron was formerly pres- ident of World Bus Corp., a joint venture between enti- ties in Mexico and Canada to develop an urban bus for the Latin America market. Charron studied manu- facturing engineering and began his career at GMC Trucks. He reports to MCI Vice President of New Coach Sales Patricia Ziska. www.MassTransitmag. com/11652382 American Seating American Seating is pleased to announce Kurt Hillary as its new vice president of operations and Allen Fox as vice pres- ident of engineering and product development. Hillary is responsible for all manufacturing, manufac- turing engineering, supply chain and quality functions. He comes to American Seating from X-Rite where he was director of opera- tions. He additionally held positions in operations and plant management. Fox is responsible for all engineering and product development at American Seating. he comes to the company from Knape & Vogt where he served as director of operations. He additionally held posi- tions in manufacturing, distribution and product development. www.MassTransitmag. com/11622897 Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has hired two ex- ecutives; Nicole Fontayne joins DART as its chief information ofcer and Joseph Costello as the new vice president of fnance. Fontayne oversees manage- ment information systems, intelligent transportation systems, networks and tele- communications, and for developing and implement- ing information technology and intelligent transporta- tion systems that support the agency's strategic goals. As the vice president of fnance, Costello super- vises the agency's budget process, fnancial planning, debt fnancing and man- agement, treasury, funds management, revenue administration and collec- tion, grants management, accounting and business process re-engineering. www.MassTransitmag. com/11600436 Guy Charron Nicole Fontayne Kurt Hillary People in the News Metro Launches Silver Line Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's Metrorail grew 10 percent larger July 26 with fve new stations and new direct rail service between the Washington region's two largest employment centers, all as a result of the open- ing of the Silver Line's frst phase. Silver Line trains will provide high-quality, high-capacity tran- sit service that reduces travel time between the Dulles corridor and Downtown D.C. It expands the reach of the existing regional rail system, offers a viable alternative to automobile travel and supports future development. "The Obama Administration is proud to be a partner in delivering more world-class transportation options to the Washington metro- politan area and connecting thou- sands of residents and visitors with major employment, education and economic opportunities through- out the region," said Secretary An- thony Foxx. "The Silver Line is an excellent example of why we need to think and invest long term to meet the rising demand for more critically important projects like this across the country." Silver Line trains run every 6 minutes during rush hour, every 12 minutes during midday, evenings and weekends, and every 20 min- utes during late-night hours. Te U.S. Department of Trans- portation is providing $975 million toward the $3.14 billion total project cost for Silver Line's frst phase. Te remaining cost is being covered by state and local funding sources. www.MassTransitmag.com/11597407 KCATA Opens CNG Bus Fueling Station ▶ The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) recently celebrated the opening of its compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. The CNG fueling station is the largest fast fll station in Missouri and the Kansas City region. The station allows buses to be fueled in less than seven minutes, and will enable KCA- TA to fll more than 200 buses nightly. The move from diesel to CNG fuel is expected to save up to $500,000 in fuel in 2015, and up to $4,000,000 per year once the feet is fully converted over the next dozen years. KCATA has entered into a partnership with Clean Energy, who will monitor and maintain the fueling station. "The move from diesel fuel to CNG will result in cleaner air, and signifcant cost savings," said Dick Jarrold, KCATA vice president of regional planning and development. The station cost $3.2 million to build; 80 percent of the cost was provided by the federal Urbanized Area Formula Grant Program. www.MassTransitmag.com/11669587 THE AUTHORITY currently has 17 CNG buses in its fleet with eight more arriving next month. CNG vehicles are being phased in as current buses are retired. KCATA