Rail Transit & Transportation Expert

Expert Witness No. 173

California

Consultant in transportation with 18 years of experience in business development, project management, engineering, system planning and design with emphasis on complex international transportation projects. Involved in over 60 major guideway and rail transit projects worldwide. His major areas of expertise include light and heavy rail, automated people movers, articulated trolley coaches, conventional and clean fuel buses, and various innovative transit technologies. His current responsibilities include overall business management and development, and active client work.

Been instrumental in bringing a high performance and capacity monorail system to Las Vegas, Nevada and is currently actively working on making it a city wide system (the task which many companies have unsuccessfully attempted for the last 25 years). He completed the procurement management of a highly publicized monorail start up system along the famous "strip" in Las Vegas. This highly successful system, with 20,000 riders per day, has set the construction schedule record for this type of installations. He is currently studying, on behalf of several clients which include the City of Las Vegas and Nevada Power Company, various extension scenarios to several locations along the "strip", Convention Center, and the airport. He also developed a custom economic model to justify a major transit investment for Stratosphere Corporation.

Currently managing the implementation of three innovative People Mover systems for Mirage Resorts in Las Vegas. He has managed several transit feasibility studies including the Mission Valley Fixed Guideway Transit feasibility study for the Metropolitan Transit Development Board in San Diego, studies the Cities of Riverside and Fresno in California, for Tunica County in Mississippi, Boulder Highway in Nevada, North Las Vegas development, Keystone Valley in Colorado, Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut, and several other. Currently working on similar projects for the Cities of SeaTac and Big Bear.

Extensively involved in the technical specifications development and overall procurement management for a new light rail vehicle for the Santa Clara County Transportation Agency.  Also participated in two "smart" highway projects under the Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways program. In addition, he provided strategic advice to the Hi-Speed America team consisting of Siemens, AEG, Fiat, General Motors and Morrison Knudsen on the Amtrak high speed rail Northeast Corridor project. He completed a high capacity transit system design assignment in Anaheim, California and a technology assessment for an automated cargo handling system for North Carolina Global TransPark Project.

On recent consulting assignments, was involved in two highway electrification research projects and design activities for the Personal Rapid Transit project for the Regional Transit Authority in Chicago. he developed the technical specifications for the Astronauts Memorial at Kennedy Space Center, provided design services for the I-15 Monorail, designed transit stations layouts, estimated costs for large transit project in Singapore, surveyed the North American Transit Agencies, and provided support services for various transit clients, including market strategy studies.

Served as an expert witness in various cases, including an anti-trust and patent infringement case in Federal Court. He has performed a number of business strategic planning, competitive analysis, and market research assignments for international and domestic corporate clients, including major defense contractors. He also participated in various company acquisitions worldwide.

As an associate of Booz,Allen and Hamilton, Inc., he has provided consulting support for San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) light rail vehicles and articulated trolley coaches procurement management assignments. His major project responsibilities included development of the Deficiencies and Satisfactory Features of Boeing LRV and Components Replacement Program reports, position papers, and specifications for the new light rail vehicles and articulated trolleys. Also, provided support for Sacramento Regional Transit District light rail vehicles procurement. In other assignments, he has participated in the Long Island Railroad and Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) Metro Rail Vehicle procurements. He also participated in the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission Norwalk-El Segundo LRT System Definition and Technology Evaluation projects.

Previously, he was with VSL International, Transit Systems Division, where his primary responsibilities included Automated Guideway Transit systems business development, feasibility studies, design, procurement, cost analyses, and estimating. He developed specifications, operational and maintenance manuals for monorail trains, Metro-Shuttle vehicles, airport people movers, automated track switches, propulsion equipment, and control and signalization systems. He was instrumental in the development of Waikoloa Minirail, Dallas Monorail, Las Vegas and Reno people movers.

His duties also involved project administration and coordination with the consultants, architects, and clients, including the City of Dallas, Hemmeter Development Corporation, and Atlanta Technology Park. Previously, he was in charge of start-up, testing, annual inspections and technical support for existing installations including VSL's systems in Memphis, Las Vegas, and Reno. He has supervised the procurement process and coordinated subsystems fabrication with several European suppliers of transportation equipment.

His transportation experience began in 1978 with Dolmel Company (now ABB Dolmel), a rail car and drive manufacturer, where he was involved in the factory testing of light rail vehicles. In addition to his transit experience, he held technical management positions with two American corporations: Kaiser and Continental. For both companies he managed departments of over 20 people on the plant engineering and maintenance level. His duties included scheduling priorities, procurement, contract management, and electronic/mechanical interface design. His innovative strategy improved testing and preventive maintenance procedures and staff training, and brought solutions resulting in decreased losses, increased productivity and time savings.

Received his M.S. with honors in electrical engineering from Technical University of Wroclaw. He is an active member of IEEE, the Engineering Management and Vehicular Technology Societies. He serves as a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on New Transportation Systems and Technology, task force on Major Activity Centers Circulation Systems, Advanced Transit Association (ATRA), and the newly formed ASCE committee on standards and codes for guideway transit. He is a member of the International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies. He has been awarded Honorary Membership by the Intermodal Transport Consortium. He has several publications and is also a frequent speaker on transit issues.

Rail Vehicle Experience

Clients

Santa Clara County Transportation Agency, Sacramento Regional Transit District, San Francisco MUNI, Southern California Rapid Transit District, Los Angeles County Transportation Agency, Long Island Railroad, Baltimore MTA, Hi-Speed America, and others.

Procurement Management

• Project management and administration for the Sacramento Regional Transit District (Procurement of 10 additional LRVs), including meetings, subcontractors management, progress reports, other. Developed Quality Monitoring Plan for SCRTD and Inspection Plan for SRTD

• Submittals and design drawings review for the Los Angeles Metro Rail and Sacramento Light Rail projects. Submittals included bar chart schedules, management plans, trainline requirements, system assurance plans, renderings and drawing submittals from Breda, Garrett, Stone Safety, Alcad, WABCO, Ohio Brass, Faiveley, Signarail, Midwest, Luminator, Sorefame, Siemens, Duewag, American Seating and several other

• Client interface on daily basis.

•Specification Development

• Conducted meetings with almost all active North America suppliers and subsuppliers of rail and articulated trolley vehicles and equipment

• Developed management and technical position papers on the following issues: cost, procurement methodology, door types, high/low steps, braking systems (electric, pneumatic, hydraulic), all-electric vehicle vs. vehicle w/compressed air, coupling systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, new refrigerants, propulsion system performance, auxiliary power, AC drive Vs DC drive

• Developed technical specifications for the SCCTA's LRV-2, San Francisco LRV-2 and articulated trolley, including the following complete sections: HVAC, Operator's Cab, Doors and Steps, Air Comfort System, Braking System, Management Program and the following partial sections: System Requirements and Train Control, and System Assurance. Reviewed the complete specifications

• Conducted industry review for SCCTA and MUNI (met with carbuilders and equipment suppliers).

Miscellaneous

• Catenary power vs. third rail comparison for the LACTC's Green Line LRV. Catenary systems evaluation for the new San Francisco articulated trolley (Ohio Brass, Kummler + Matter)

• Evaluated ATCS (Seltrac, AEG Westinghouse, GEC, VAL) for the Norwalk-El Segundo line and Market Street Subway (preliminary work)

• Familiar with AC and DC drives for mass transit applications

• Developed Component Replacement Program for the San Francisco MUNI Maintenance Department and evaluated deficiencies of Boeing LRV

• Evaluated new refrigerants for HVAC systems

• Extensive rail industry contacts and resources.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Passenger Ropeway Experience

Projects

Was involved in the implementation of the following passenger ropeway projects:

•Roosevelt Island Tramway, New York City

•Keystone Skyway Gondola, Dillon, Colorado

•Parque Luis Munoz Marin Gondola, San Juan, Puerto Rico

•Metro Shuttle 6000, Memphis, Tennessee

•Metro Shuttle, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada

•Primadonna Shuttle, Stateline Nevada.

In addition, performed several feasibility studies for ropeway systems including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Atlanta and several other areas of Expertise

• Technology Assessment

• System planning and design including alignment and station analysis, capacity evaluation, subsystems and suppliers selection, cost estimating, other

• Procurement documents and technical specification development

• Project management and engineering

• Procurement management including bid evaluation, contract negotiations, submittals and design drawings review and other

• Quality monitoring and inspection plans development

• Technical support and annual inspections

• Commissioning.

Note: He has participated in the standards and codes development for ropeway people movers sponsored by the County of Las Vegas. Is currently an active member of the ACSE committee to develop standards and codes for people movers (including ropeway systems).

Select Presentations and Publications:

Available Upon Request

Keywords:

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