TSM Professional Staff
Susan Madigan - Founder and Principal
James Stoetzel - Senior Railroad Manager
Thomas White - Senior Consultant
___________________________
Susan Madigan
PRINCIPAL
Founder and Principal of Transit Safety Management (TSM) in 1994, Susan Madigan has over 25 years experience in rail safety and operations. Significant accomplishments include:
Transit Safety Management, Inc. — Principal
Since the founding of TSM, Ms. Madigan’s work for her firm has included:
- Provision of Safety Manager’s responsibilities for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company, the contract operator for the MBTA commuter rail system in Boston MA. Responsibilities include development and delivery of regulatory and contract compliant safety programs (e.g., Locomotive Engineer Certification Program, Drug & Alcohol Testing Policy and Programs, Emergency Preparedness Plan, Test & Observation Program, Accident Investigation Program, System Safety Program Plan, System Security Plan, etc.).
- Development, for the Federal Railroad Administration, of model training program for the training of train dispatchers. Included within this work was an analysis of stress factors impacting train dispatchers and ways to remedy these factors.
- FRA research project on locomotive access/egress, including suggestions for improvements for access/egress by railroad crew members and emergency responders.
- Development and revision of System Safety Program Plans (SSPPs) for:
- MBTA Commuter Rail Service, Boston, MA
- North County Transit District “Coaster” Service, San Diego, CA
- Altamont Commuter Express “ACE” Service, Stockton, CA
- Trinity Railway Express Service, Dallas, TX
- Triangle Transit Authority Service, Raleigh-Durham, NC (service still under development)
- Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Streetcar, San Pedro, CA
- Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)
- Alaska Railroad
- Technical advisor to a sub-group of the APTA Passenger Rail Equipment Safety Standards (PRESS) Task Force, addressing emergency access and exit, emergency lighting and power, communications and maintenance of equipment, fire safety and other safety standards.
- Development of safety and FRA regulatory compliance programs, including drug and alcohol testing programs, locomotive engineer certification programs, emergency preparedness programs, rule book for streetcar operation.
- Development of petition to waiver certain federal regulations and request for shared use submitted to FRA for the historic streetcar operation in the Port of Los Angeles.
- Evaluation of viability of rail options for the Cape Cod Transit Task Force as part of the Cape Cod 5-year Transportation Plan.
- Safety and FRA regulatory compliance audits of several commuter rail services, including Dallas’ Trinity Railway Express, the South Florida Tri-Rail service and the Stockton, CA ACE service.
- System-wide operating and mechanical department safety audit of the Buenos Aires, Argentina subway and several commuter railroad lines.
- Safety oversight officer for ultrasonic rail testing over MBTA transit lines in Boston.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) — Operating Practices Safety Inspector
- Prior to the establishment of TSM, Ms. Madigan worked for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as an Operating Practices Safety Inspector. In this position she was responsible for the assurance of safe operating practices on both freight and passenger railroads and compliance with Federal safety regulations governing operating practices. Territory included Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, and all of the New England states. As a federal safety inspector, duties included:
- Daily monitoring of railroad operating practices.
- Assessment of safety plans and the conduct of safety and regulatory information sessions for railroad personnel.
- Development of comprehensive drug and alcohol training programs for other FRA personnel and participation in the program as a trainer.
- Periodic system assessments and safety auditing of rail properties.
Prior to her work with the FRA, Ms. Madigan held the following passenger rail operating positions:
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK) — Manager of Operations
Responsible for all terminal activities at North Station, the railroad terminal for the Boston North commuter rail service. Responsible for the safe and efficient movement of almost 200 daily commuter trains, maximizing on-time performance for a system carrying in excess of 30,000 daily riders; the scheduling of commuter equipment and operating crews for revenue service and maintenance; adherence to safe operating practices; and the evaluation of train and engine crews for compliance with railroad safety and operating rules.
Boston and Maine Railroad — Train Dispatcher, Chief Train Dispatcher
Responsible for the management of commuter, intercity passenger and freight trains across the Boston and Maine and, subsequently, the Guilford Rail system, which included the Maine Central railroad and the Delaware and Hudson railway.
Education
MBA, Suffolk University, Boston, MA
BS in Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Memberships
Member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar for over 25 years. Certified Operation Lifesaver Presenter; currently serving as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Operation Lifesaver in Massachusetts. Active member of the:
- APTA System Safety Subcommittee
- APTA Rail Safety Committee
- Transportation Research Board (TRB) Human Factors Subcommittee
- System Safety Society.
___________________________
JAMES STOETZEL
SENIOR RAILROAD MANAGER
James Stoetzel has over 35 years management experience in the railroad industry railroad industry and has held numerous executive level positions, including:
General Manager, Commuter Service for the Boston and Maine Railroad, where he was responsible for the management and operation of the Boston commuter rail service. This service consisted of over 300 daily trains, 100 stations, nine rail lines, a work force of 1000 employees and an annual operating budget of $60 million.
Vice President, Transportation for the three railroads comprising the Guilford Transportation system (Boston and Maine, Maine Central, Delaware and Hudson), with overall operational responsibility for the freight service of these three railroads.
Director of Suburban Operations for the Burlington Northern Railroad in Chicago, with responsibility for the operation of the BN’s suburban service and managing the contract between BN and METRA, the public agency responsible for Chicago’s commuter rail system.
Vice President of Rail Operations for Connex North America and, subsequently, President of Connex Railroad, With responsibility for Connex’s involvement in the Boston commuter rail system. Connex is the majority owner of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), which operates this 480-train-a-day system under the terms of a $2 billion contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
Senior Railroad Manager for Transit Safety Management, where he has been responsible for a variety of passenger rail operational, safety and planning projects, including:
- Directing the development of the operational aspects of the “Knowledge Corridor” study, as part of an HDR team, for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in Western Massachusetts. This study, aimed at determining the feasibility of relocating the Amtrak “Vermonter” intercity passenger train, led to the preparation, by the same HDR team, and submission of a successful ARRA stimulus funding application for the implementation of this project.
- Directing the development of the operational aspects of a study, as part of a team including HDR, for the Montachusett Area Transit Authority to determine the feasibility of extending existing MBTA commuter rail service beyond its present terminus in Fitchburg to a new station-parking lot complex at Wachusett, MA. This study led to the preparation, by the same team, of a successful TIGER grant application for the implementation of the project.
- Assisting the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority in the preparation and submission of a successful ARRA stimulus funding application for the extension of the existing “Downeaster” intercity passenger rail service between Boston, MA and Portland, ME to a new terminus in Brunswick, ME.
- Developing the passenger rail sections of a State Freight and Rail Plan for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Revising, updating and auditing the System Safety Program Plan, Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness Plan and Standard Operating Procedures for the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) (Stockton-San Jose, CA) commuter rail service
- Directing the operational and rolling stock elements for a Rail Commuter Demonstration Project in Seattle which led to the implementation of the “Sounder” commuter rail service.
- Directing mobilization and operations implementation for Dallas’ Trinity Railway Express and the ACE Service.
- Directing the development of the operational, rolling stock and fare collection elements of the first new start commuter rail system in the United States, South Florida’s Tri-Rail System. Mr. Stoetzel also served as the first Executive Director of the system after start-up.
International Experience
- Auckland, New Zealand – Analyses of safety programs and structure of the regulatory regime for the Auckland commuter rail system.
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Developing RFPs and Operating Agreements for Rail Equipment Maintenance and Train Operation Services for Toronto’s GO Transit commuter rail system and assisting GO in the contracting/transition processes for both functions.
- South Africa - Performing operations, safety and equipment maintenance analyses of South Africa’s four major commuter rail systems: Johannesburg, Capetown, Durban and Pretoria.
- Mexico City, Mexico – For the Ministry of Transportation, development of train schedules, station plans, infrastructure capital program and a complete set of bidding documents for a “new start” turnkey commuter rail service in Mexico City.
- Budapest, Hungary – Participated in a restructuring study of the Hungarian State Railways (MAV). Responsibilities in this study involved the refocusing of MAV’s investment program to more closely reflect operational needs and economic reality.
- Warsaw, Poland – Advised the Polish State Railways (PKP) on fare evasion issues and fare collection techniques.
- Buenos Aires, Argentina – Served as project manager for the Burlington Northern’s first international commuter rail contract, the privatization of the commuter rail system in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Education
___________________________
Thomas White
SENIOR OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
Thomas White has over 40 years of experience in railroad operations, including over 20 years in operations management and traffic control and over 15 years in infrastructure design, service and operations planning, and capacity analysis. Significant accomplishments during this time include:
“New Starts” Planning and Implementation:
Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (Washington State, Oregon, British Columbia)
Responsible for infrastructure and operating plans, including: increasing speeds and improving trip times for commuter, intercity and freight trains in the Portland, OR—Seattle, WA—Vancouver, BC rail corridor: analyses of characteristics of proposed coaches and locomotives; service implementation program and revenue/ expense projections for increased levels of service.
Mexico City-Huehuetoca Commuter Railroad
Responsible for infrastructure and operating plans, vehicle specifications and trackage rights agreement for the development of a new 500,000-passenger-a-day commuter rail service on heavy density freight lines serving Mexico City.
Infrastructure Planning Projects
Development of infrastructure plans and capital improvement programs to increase capacity for:
- Port of Tacoma, WA
- Port of Portland, OR
- King Street Station, Seattle, WA (anticipated growth from 10 to 70 daily trains)
- Vancouver Passenger Terminal, British Columbia
- Seattle-Vancouver Intercity Passenger Service (Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor)
- Amtrak Seattle maintenance facility
Operations Planning/Feasibility Analyses:
Development of operations plans, equipment and crew scheduling software and commuter/intercity passenger rail feasibility analyses for a number of clients and service applications, including:
- Washington State DOT
- Everett-Lakewood Commuter/Intercity Services
- Seattle-Spokane Intercity Service
- Southeast King County commuter rail service
British Columbia Transportation Financing Authority
Development and evaluation of alternatives for the location of the Vancouver, BC passenger rail terminal
Metrorail, South Africa
Development and implementation of a new operating plan and set of service schedules for one of South Africa’s largest commuter rail services in Durban
I -91 Knowledge Corridor Study (Massachusetts, Vermont)
Development of operating plans and service schedules for improved passenger rail service between Springfield MA and White River Jct. VT
MBTA Fitchburg – Gardner , MA commuter rail extension
Service and operating plans for the extended service
Washington Transportation Commission
Development of a statewide rail capacity analysis for Washington State
Operational Evaluations and Assessments
Detailed assessments of operating procedures, practices, service performance and regulatory compliance for several passenger rail systems/services, including:
- Sound Transit’s “Sounder” commuter rail service
- Chicago Area Planning Study — Evaluation of train dispatching and operating practices in an effort to reduce train congestion and delay in the vast Chicago rail complex
- Metrorail, Johannesburg, South Africa — Analysis and evaluation of traffic control/train dispatching systems, procedures and methodologies, resulting in recommendations for significant reductions in staffing
- Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor — Evaluation of schedule performance for Seattle-Portland intercity passenger rail service and development of performance improvement programs
- Alaska Railroad, Anchorage, Alaska — Evaluation of train dispatching practices.
Publications, Presentations, and Training Programs
- Elements of Train Dispatching, Vol. 1
General railroad operations book - Elements of Train Dispatching, Vol. 2
Railroad operations planning and management book
- Managing Railroad Transportation
- The Railroad, What it is, What it does (contributing author)
- Railway Signaling and Interlocking (co-author)
Planning Railroad Operations – Single Track - Transportation Research Record
Presentation on rail capacity analysis - University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Lectures on railroad infrastructure for Global Trade and Logistics Program - Institute for Railway Systems Engineering (Germany)
Lectures on North American railroad operations< - University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Lectures on railroad operations and transportation management - Friedrich List Faculty of Transportation and Traffic Sciences, Dresden Technical University, Dresden Germany
Guest speaker on US railroad operations and transportation management - International Association of Railway Operations Research (Netherlands-Germany)
Charter member and member of the board - TUNRail program - Project evaluator for TUNRail, a joint US-EU program for the coordination and improvement of university-level railway education programs.
Infrastructure Planning Projects
Amtrak Seattle Maintenance Facility
Develop project construction phasing that will allow normal operation while a complete reconfiguration of the yard is in progress. Provide ongoing construction operation coordination to ensure that deviations from the construction schedule do not affect operation.
Prior to joining TSM, Mr. White enjoyed a 30+ year career in various positions with several Class I railroads including:
Burlington Northern / Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
- Central Puget Sound Commuter Rail Demonstration, Seattle, WA — Developed operating plans, service schedules and freight train interface for a five-month commuter rail demonstration project between Everett and Tacoma, WA. This demonstration was the predecessor of the current Sounder commuter rail service, which serves the same region. Also responsible for daily service management and oversight during this program.
- Analyses of adding commuter rail service onto existing BN/BNSF freight lines in Vancouver, BC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, and Denver.
- Analyses of introducing high speed passenger trains onto existing freight lines between Portland, OR and Vancouver, BC and Dallas and Houston, TX.
- Development of a wide variety of computerized programs including service design, capacity analysis, infrastructure planning and freight train scheduling
- Served 16 years of as an Operator, Train Dispatcher, and Asst. Chief Train Dispatcher.
- Capacity research, infrastructure planning, development of freight service plans, development of freight schedules and operating plans.
- Classroom and on the job train dispatcher training
- Participate in the cutover of the ATSF Information System onto BN lines including user training, data validation, and failure assessment and correction.
Served in various field operations positions (e.g., Operator, Train Dispatcher, Asst. Chief Train Dispatcher for several railroads including the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal, the Southern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road).