Willie Bates, an Amtrak conductor (UTU Local 1933, Washington), and UTU's District of Columbia legislative director, has been named by the Obama administration to a newly created Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS). Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement June 23.
The 20-member panel, said LaHood, "will assist the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with laying the groundwork for drafting national safety measures for rail transit."
"We have brought together some of the best and brightest minds in the transit industry to focus on new and better ways to keep millions of daily rail transit riders safe," LaHood said. "These professionals will help guide our safety agenda for rail transit systems across the nation."
Said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff, "While public transit is one of the safest ways to get around, we still experience preventable accidents -- including fatal accidents -- far too frequently. We must take measures to ensure that safety margins are maintained as our systems grow older and experienced workers retire in increasing numbers."
Bates and the 19 other panel members were selected from among 79 applicants from all geographic regions in the U.S., representing state and local transit agencies, state safety oversight organizations, transit employee unions, industry associations, and other stakeholders.
Qualifications sought for TRACS members included expertise in the field of safety or rail transit operations or maintenance, and representation of stakeholder interests that would be affected by rail transit safety requirements. Applicants were also evaluated based on policy experience, leadership and organization skills and region of the country.
Bates is a conductor on Amtrak's Richmond-Washington route, and is the first African-American to have been elected a UTU state legislative director in the 140-year history of the UTU and its predecessors.
In 1992, Bates was elected president of Local 1933, and as vice local chairperson in 2000. He began his railroad career in 1981 as a conductor on Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad (now part of CSX), and in 1986 he moved to Amtrak.
Other TRACS members appointed include:
* Rick Inclima, director of safety, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division, Washington, D.C.
* Bernadette Bridges, executive director of the Office of Safety and Risk Management, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore.
* Eric Cheng, programs manager, Federal Railroad Crossing Safety Improvement, Utah DOT.
* Diane Davidson, director of Center for Transportation Analysis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville, Tenn.
* Joe Diaz, manager of safety, security and training, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Tampa, Fla.
* James Dougherty, chief safety officer, Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority.
* David Genova, assistant general manager for safety, Denver Regional Transportation District.
* Georgetta Gregory, rail safety group, California Public Utilities Commission.
* William Grizard, staff auditor, American Public Transportation Association.
* Leonard Hardy, manager of operations-safety division, Bay Area Rapid Transit District , San Francisco.
* Henry Hartberg, senior manger-safety (Bus and Rail), Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority.
