Alameda Corridor appoints new CEO and board chairman

Alameda Corridor appoints new CEO and board chairman    The governing board of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority has appointed John Doherty as the agency’s new chief executive officer.
   Doherty has been filling the position in an interim capacity since the July 1 departure of James C. Hankla, who resigned to join the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.
   Doherty, a civil engineer with 35 years’ experience in rail-related construction management and operations, has been a member of the Alameda Corridor team for eight years, serving as director of construction for the Alameda Corridor Engineering Team, before being named director of construction and engineering in February.
   Previously, Doherty worked for 24 years in various capacities for the Long Island Railroad, the nation’s largest commuter railroad, including vice president of operations. He also has provided consulting services to the Metrolink Commuter Rail Project, the Honolulu Rapid Transit Development Project and the California High Speed Rail Study as a senior staff member of leading engineering and construction management firms.
   The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority has also elected a new chairman and vice chairwoman. Long Beach vice mayor Frank A. Colonna, who had served the past year as vice chairman of the agency, was named chairman. He succeeds Los Angeles city councilwoman Janice Hahn, who was elected vice chairwoman. The positions are rotated between representatives of the Los Angeles and Long Beach city councils each year.
   The $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor opened in April 2002, providing a freight rail expressway stretching 20 miles between the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the rail yards near downtown Los Angeles.