to find a new CEO who shared its commitment to safety and
customer service. In April 2010, after months of searching, the
Metrolink Board of Directors appointed John E. Fenton as CEO
because of his track record of putting safety first. With his extensive
transportation and executive management experience, Fenton
put into place new leadership, policies and standards that not
only enhanced safety in the region but also increased Metrolink
ridership. Fenton's leadership team had diverse backgrounds,
including experience in the hospitality industry, which helped the
agency drive focus on customers' needs.
of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering to create
a first-of-its-kind advanced rail system safety certification program
titled "Rail System Safety: Safety Culture and Human Performance."
Metrolink selected USC Viterbi to spearhead the curriculum
because the school is internationally renowned for system safety
development; it designed the U.S. Air Force's aviation safety curriculum in the 1950s. "My goal was to
elevate the safety culture so that safety was the DNA of Metrolink's culture. Technology can only take
important part," said Fenton.
leadership principles, was completed in
summer 2011. In August 2011, Metrolink
managers made their way to USC to attend
the two-day course focusing on topics
such as safety management systems, risk
identification and data analysis and human
factors. Participants studied lessons learned
from disasters, collisions and system
equipment failures that occurred across
the country.
customers. Other than safety,
nothing was more important to
him than customers. Over the
years, that has been forgotten
in the railroad industry. The
best thing we can do for
our customers is provide
a safe, reliable method of
transportation and one they
can count on and is a good
experience when they use it.
Without customers, we don't
have a railroad, not the other
way around."
-- Board Chairman and
representative Richard Katz
completing the advanced rail safety certification program