John Claflin Named Transdev General Manager for Cincinnati Streetcar Project

November 6, 2015 — Cincinnati

John Claflin Named Transdev General Manager for Cincinnati Streetcar Project

John Claflin has been named Transdev’s General Manager for the highly anticipated Cincinnati Streetcar project that SORTA will launch in 2016 (Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority). He will oversee the management and administration leading up to the launch and all aspects of the ongoing operations and maintenance for the streetcar service thereafter. With 37 years of public transportation experience, Claflin has a deep understanding of the industry, and has previously served in senior management positions for several high-profile rail projects including RTD Denver, Houston Metro and TriMet.

The Transdev contract with SORTA includes management of day-to-day operations, accountability for safety, maintenance of vehicles and maintenance of most streetcar infrastructure (track, power system, stations and maintenance facility). It also includes oversight of fare collections.

“John is ideally suited to be the first Cincinnati Streetcar General Manager because of his extensive expertise in all areas of transit, rail and streetcar operations. We are fortunate to have him take the reins of this project in this capacity,” said Ron Robusto, COO for Transdev’s Rail Division. “There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done in less than a year in order for this new system-startup to be launched on time, and operate safely and efficiently, and John is the right leader to make that happen.”

Claflin’s most recent previous experience was as Transdev’s Project Manager and Start-up Manager for the Design/Build phase of Houston METRO’s light rail system. Other relevant experience includes serving as General Manager of Triangle Transit Authority in Durham, NC; and Chief Operating Office of the RTD in Denver responsible for both bus and rail services. His knowledge of rail systems extends from start-up, to day-to-day operations, to maintenance, engineering and capital projects for highly visible systems in densely populated urban settings. Claflin’s commitment to safety runs deep and he has numerous safety certifications for light rail, trolley and bus transit systems.

Claflin graduated from the University of Southern Colorado with a B.A. as a double major in physical education and psychology and holds a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado. He has also earned certification as a Professional Project Manager from the Parsons Transportation Group.