The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) Board of Directors has appointed Richard Sarles interim general manager of Metro. He will take over for General Manager John B. Catoe, Jr., whose last day at Metro will be April 2.
Sarles has 25 years of experience in the transit industry with New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He will begin his duties on March 29, following his retirement from New Jersey Transit, where he serves as executive director.
As executive director of New Jersey Transit, Sarles opened the River Line light rail service in southern New Jersey and oversaw the extension of the Newark Light Rail and Hudson Bergen Light Rail services. Prior to that, he served as New Jersey Transit's assistant executive Director for capital programs and planning, managing the agency's $1.3 billion annual capital program as well as all three light rail operations in the state.
Before joining New Jersey Transit, Sarles served as a vice president at Amtrak where he lead the Northeast Corridor's High-Speed Rail program. He directed Amtrak's $2 billion high-speed rail project that brought 150-mph train service to the Northeast Corridor and electrified the railroad from New Haven, Conn., to Boston, Mass.
Sarles previously served for more than 20 years in construction, project management and project planning roles with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. During his tenure with the Port Authority, he led a successful effort to overhaul and manufacture new PATH cars at a major rail car manufacturer that set up a plant in the region. He also oversaw the modernization of major trans-Hudson facilities, including vehicle tunnels, bridges and PATH.