LOS ANGELES - Metro's new transit chief Phil Washington completed his first week on the job as the overseer of LA's $36 billion transportation infrastructure program. A 24-year army veteran from the South Side of Chicago, Washington joins Metro from Denver's Regional Transportation District, where he was selected as the agency's CEO in 2009 after serving as the Assistant General Manager for nearly 10 years.
In Denver, Washington helped usher in the city's transportation boom, which resulted in the launch of the country's first P3 program or public-private partnership to build, operate and maintain four rails lines -- adding 122 new miles of rail to the city. Additionally, Washington's emphasis on safety training led to a 40 percent decrease in preventable bus accidents in 2012, and an on-time bus and rail rate of 90 percent and a 96 percent ADA on-time performance. He was also named as a "Champion of Change" by the White House for creating the Community Workforce Initiative Now (WIN) Program to train and employ thousands of people who live in communities affected by major infrastructure projects.
As Metro's CEO, Washington will manage 9,200 employees, 2,000 buses, 300 trains and oversee all operations for the agency's 1.4 million daily riders.
Check out MoveLA's interview with Phil Washington on his new role as Metro CEO.