Sean Thompson has been named Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) director of rail operations, effective October 31.
Since 2014, Thompson has been employed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), where he most recently oversaw rail safety for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), when the US Department of Transportation assumed temporary direct federal oversight.
Prior to that, he worked in roles of increasing responsibility for FTA, including director of the Office of Safety Review, overseeing the State Safety Oversight Program along with new requirements under Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).
In 2010 and 2011, Thompson was RTA's rail training manager, before leaving to work for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as an operating practices inspector and later as deputy regional administrator in Sacramento. In Sacramento, he directed investigations and inspections in response to railroad incidents and assured regulatory compliance, mitigating safety risks to the public and employees.
At the FRA, Thompson served on several high-profile investigation teams, including the Bridgeport, Conn., commuter train collision and derailment in 2013, and the U.S. DOT response to the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, rail disaster. Thompson also worked light and commuter rail operations in Charlotte, Austin and Salt Lake City, where he established and managed new rail service.
“Sean brings a wealth of experience directing day-to-day rail operations. But he also has spent years creating, implementing and overseeing safety initiatives, assuring compliance with safety oversight regulations,” said RTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Joe Calabrese.
“His significant accomplishments with safety regulations, and his experience with light rail and heavy rail transit in both new and established systems, make him an outstanding member of our team. RTA is privileged to have someone of his caliber on board. With Sean’s expertise, we can sharpen our focus on safety, while we advance State of Good Repair initiatives,” added Calabrese.