Patrick Merrill, formerly of Caltrans (Chief of Rail Capital), has been appointed as VP in the Policy and Development Department at Amtrak. It is my understanding that he will work on the west coast (Los Angeles?).
I've met him a few times at public rail meetings, and in my opinion, this guy is sharp as a tack. His presentations were always super clear, and he understood the Caltrans/Amtrak relationship with aplomb. I'm happy to hear that Amtrak hired a really good guy!
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
From Media Relations today:
AMTRAK NAMES PATRICK MERRILL ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT – WEST
OAKLAND – Amtrak announced today the appointment of Patrick Merrill to the position of Assistant Vice President, Policy and Development – West. He will oversee all business development with Amtrak’s partners and stakeholders in this region and support corporate policy and strategic planning efforts.
Merrill brings over 30 years of experience managing the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) intercity passenger rail program, including capital project development, program management, marketing, safety, contract negotiations, and multi-agency coordination for strategic planning.
Additionally, Merrill led Caltrans’ recent effort to prepare grant applications for federal funds for intercity and high speed passenger rail capital assistance, coordinating with the California High Speed Rail Authority and various commuter railroads within the state on the development of potential projects to improve the existing state-supported intercity passenger rail corridors.
Mr. Merrill will be responsible for the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. He will be based in Oakland, Calif., effective March 22, 2010.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :