People news from Commuter Rail Coalition, Valley Metro and Reading & Northern

The Commuter Rail Coalition, a nationwide association of commuter-rail agencies and operators, announced a new board led by Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. The new board was established as railroads face fiscal cliffs and transit doom loops, coalition officials said in a press release. The five executive committee members, supported by six members-at-large (including Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority CEO Phil Eng and MTA Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free), will help the coalition educate stakeholders on the value commuter railroads bring to the communities and millions of riders they serve each year, the press release stated.

The boards of Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) and Valley Metro Rail (VMR) in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, have elected officers for fiscal-year 2026. Tempe City Council Member Jennifer Adams will chair the RPTA and serve as vice chair of the VMR, while Phoenix City Council Member Laura Pastor will chair VMR and serve as treasurer of RPTA. The boards set policy direction for the Valley Metro transit system seeking to provide high quality and cost-effective regional transit services to more than 130,000 daily riders, according to a Valley Metro press release.

Reading & Northern Railroad has promoted Jeff Knadler to assistant vice president-passenger. Most recently, Knadler was senior director of the passenger department. In that role, he oversaw and will continue to oversee the operation of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSR) in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. He also will oversee the work of the Reading & Northern's regional passenger directors. Knadler has played a major role in the evolution of the guest experience at the LGSR, which is in its 20th year of operation, according to a Reading & Northern press release.