Los Angeles Times, 6/30:
Metrolink's new chief looks to boost image
Earlier this month, staff writer Dan Weikel talked with Art Leahy, Metrolink's new chief executive officer, during an inspection of the regional commuter railroad's Ventura County Line between Chatsworth and Burbank.
Leahy started his transportation career 44 years ago driving a bus for the old Southern California Rapid Transit District. He climbed the executive pyramid, eventually leading the Metro Transit in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In April, Leahy, 66, replaced Michael DePallo as the chief executive of Metrolink, the 512-mile rail network that extends to Palmdale, Simi Valley, the Inland Empire, and south past San Juan Capistrano, offering longer-distance commuters a public transportation option. Leahy faces a variety of challenges, including rebuilding ridership, solving customer service problems and improving relations with five counties that help fund the railroad: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.
Here is what Leahy had to say:
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