» NYSDOT Appoints NEW High Speed Rail Program Manager

NYSDOT Acting Commissioner Stan Gee announced on June 23rd that Ms. Ann Purdue will be joining the State’s Department of Transportation, as the first High Speed Rail Program Manager, effective July 6, 2009,

Ms. Purdue has been serving as a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia where she was responsible for the negotiation and development of transportation agreements for the construction, financing, operation and management of major infrastructure projects. She has a depth of experience in rail matters, having served as both in-house and outside counsel to CSX Transportation. She also brings a wealth of experience in the areas of railroad capital improvements, operating agreement, grants and regulation, as well as other private and public sector experience in finance, real estate and commercial transactions.

In the announcement Acting Commissioner Gee said “We are very fortunate to have someone with Ms. Purdue’s talents to lead our ongoing efforts to ensure that passenger rail and high-speed rail transportation will be a safe, energy efficient, competitively priced, economic generator for New York.”

Ms. Purdue and the High Speed Rail Program team will be part of the Department’s Policy and Planning Division’s Office of Integrated Modal Services under the leadership of Don Hannon.

ESPA is very pleased by this news and congratulates the Governor and Department on attracting such a highly-qualified individual to help the lead the impending higher-speed initiatives across the state.