Subject: Light-rail chief keeps project rolling along Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 6:20 PM Light-rail chief keeps project rolling along Sean Holstege The Arizona Republic Dec. 18, 2006 12:00 AM For many people, light rail means torn-up streets, detours and heavy construction. But within months, trains will be running in the streets on a test basis. That will spur thoughts about how well the system will operate and what the ride will be like. The man in charge of train operations is Joe Marie, who has spent his entire 21-year career in the transit industry. Marie, 43, is immersed in preparations for running light rail, even though opening day is two years off. His to-do list is enormous and includes testing trains along Washington Street starting in March. Marie, a Boston native, exudes self-assurance. In an accent as thick as the Charles River, he expresses confidence that the Valley's 20-mile starter system will work well and may open early. In today's Arizona Republic, he talks about his work and the challenges ahead. Light rail chief is pushing project onto fast track Joe Marie is the man in charge of train operations for the Valley's new light-rail system. In an interview with The Republic, he talks about the challenges he faces and why he thinks the system might open early. Question: Why did you want this job? The temperature reaches 115 degrees in the summer and many people dislike light rail. Answer: "It's the challenge. To get to the top of the mountain is shallow. The side of the mountain is what sustains life. It's getting there that counts, not arriving." Q: You've been in transit your whole life. What draws you? Were you one of those kids with a train set? A: "No, I fell into transit. At age 22, I'd never been on an airplane. I got a flight to Brussels for $99 on People Express. I spent the next few months loafing around Europe. I took trains all over the place. I happened to be in Munich (Germany) when I ran out of money. I called my mom, and she said I got a call from (Boston's transit district). I started as a $7-an-hour analyst." Q: Trains are arriving with regularity now. When you peer under the tarp, what's the first thing you look at? A: "The future. Getting the trains here means you're really moving now. It represents a shift from building stuff to operating it. . . . Aesthetically, I think it's a beautiful train. The Valley is becoming a very modern-looking place, and the train reflects that. In many respects, it looks very futuristic. Q: What's the most striking thing the passengers will notice? A: "Because of the size of the windows, you'll be able to see everywhere. It's 92 feet long. There's a perception of a lot of space." Q: What will they most like, and most hate? A: "People will like the ease of movement. They'll have to get familiar with proof-of-payment (the honor system of paying fares)." Q: With an honor system, how do you stop Metro from getting ripped off? A: "All the recent new (light-rail systems) have been proof-of-payment, and they have been as effective in collecting fares as barrier-and-gate systems. Most people pay fares. Those that don't will find out really fast it's not the right thing to do." (Fines are expected to be around $100.) Q: How will you test the trains? A: "Metro begins by measuring the dimensions of the trains to assure they clear platforms, overhead power lines and each other. Then "we tow a train around the yard at 5 mph. It's a painstaking process. Then we take it out between 44th and 56th streets (the test track on Washington Street) and walk the train around at 3 mph. Then we fire up the substations and roll it, starting at 5 mph and gradually up to 35 mph. Then we start high-speed dynamic testing, back and forth, hour after hour. We need to do thousands of runs of the first train. "We check the brake pressure, acceleration rates, deceleration rates. We do a failure-mode analysis. We knock out whole systems to see if the train runs. We do a spin-slide test. Just like anti-lock brakes on your car, the wheels automatically brake if they detect a slide. So we'll put water on the trail and put the car in a hard emergency brake. Then we fill the train with sandbags to simulate a full car." Q: In Minneapolis, you were testing trains late the night before opening. Will that happen here? A: "We were rushing in Minneapolis because the trains were ordered late. We really pushed to the last minute. It was an all-out sprint. In Minneapolis we got our first car 15 months before opening day. Here, we already have five cars on our property and we have two years . . . They ordered the trains early, in January 2004, even before we had (federal funding). The cities made that decision. It was a great decision. It was the smartest thing they did." Q: Would you bet your Scottsdale house that Metro will open within budget by December 26, 2008? A: "Yes. I'm not a gambling man, but we have a lot of track laid and cars in the barn ready to be assembled. My relative experience tells me we're in good shape. . . . Our challenges are big. Nobody's going to say it's easy. But we have a cushion at the end. (If systems testing goes well) we could open early." Q: Many rail veterans say there are too many stops on Central Avenue. Are there? A: "No. End-to-end, the travel time is 58 minutes. The truth of the matter is the core is pretty dense. The ride is going to be quick enough and there's, on average, a station every three-quarters of a mile. That's not a lot." (A computerized traffic system helps trains get green traffic lights.) Without that, "I'd be really worried." Q: How will passengers know they've gotten their money's worth? A: "Do they feel safe? Do they have predictability? Are we on time? If we do that, people will come back to us. Our goal is 26,000 riders. We should do better than that. . . . You're only as good as your last commute. When you spend $1.4 billion on something, you should have predictability. People expect it and they should." Q: Metro has a tight schedule and budget. How do you keep to that without sacrificing quality? If you had to, where could you cut corners? A: "We won't cut quality. We won't compromise on that. You need to manage the money now. You need that discipline now. You don't wait until the end to manage a money crisis. People are much more cost conscious." Q: So why did Metro pay more for the same service? (Last month Metro awarded a $27 million contract to Alternate Concepts Inc. to run the trains. The next best bid, by Washington Group International Inc., was for $22 million, but in a 12,500-point competition, ACI beat WGI by only 33 points. WGI is appealing the decision.) A: "Price was just one factor. It's driven by schedule. You need 24/7 coverage in the control center. You need field superintendents. You need operators. We have a labor agreement to hire operators. So the cost structure is pretty much the same for all bidders. I can't get into details (because the bid has been appealed to the Federal Transit Administration), but price was not the biggest factor. We would have paid the same no matter who we hired. These guys all use the same scheduling program." Q: What's the most daunting part of your job? A: "Now, it's the volume of all the test reports and the magnitude of coordinating the Phoenix police, construction managers, signals, traction power, vehicles, line-section contractors, operations contractors and car maintenance. Getting all these people to understand each other is daunting." Q: The most rewarding? A: "Personnel development. There's a lot of growth for the people around you. I've learned some valuable lessons in the last five to 10 years. When I was younger, I had a lot of high-energy, high-octane people around me, guys like me. I learned in order to be a better top manager I couldn't be around guys only like me. I wouldn't know my blind spots. I had to work with people who were very different. How you get the best out of people is to get them to be themselves within your organization. It was a shortcoming in me. When you get humbled you have to take stock of yourself and do some soul-searching. My cadence is fast. I talk fast, I act fast, and I leave people in my wake. People get burned out and disillusioned. People get to where I am because they are driven and have big egos. To be successful you have to have a team to do it with you." Q: The biggest surprise? A: "The level of commitment from the cities. Those guys are really engaged on this project and that's a good thing."