John Claflin was named Transdev’s GM for the highly anticipated Cincinnati Streetcar project that Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) will launch in 2016. He will oversee the management and administration leading up to the launch and all aspects of the ongoing operations and maintenance for the streetcar service thereafter. 

With 37 years of public transportation experience, Claflin has previously served in senior management positions for several high-profile rail projects including Denver RTD, Houston Metro and TriMet.

The Transdev contract with SORTA includes management of day-to-day operations, accountability for safety, maintenance of vehicles and maintenance of most streetcar infrastructure (track, power system, stations and maintenance facility). It also includes oversight of fare collections.

“John is ideally suited to be the first Cincinnati Streetcar General Manager because of his extensive expertise in all areas of transit, rail and streetcar operations. We are fortunate to have him take the reins of this project in this capacity,” said Ron Robusto, COO for Transdev’s Rail Division. “There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done in less than a year in order for this new system-startup to be launched on time, and operate safely and efficiently, and John is the right leader to make that happen.”

Claflin’s most recent previous experience was as Transdev’s project manager and start-up manager for the design/build phase of Houston Metro’s light rail system. 

Other relevant experience includes serving as GM of Triangle Transit Authority in Durham, N.C.; and COO of the RTD in Denver, responsible for both bus and rail services. His knowledge of rail systems extends from start-up, to day-to-day operations, to maintenance, engineering and capital projects for highly visible systems in densely populated urban settings. Claflin has numerous safety certifications for light rail, trolley and bus transit systems.