ORANGE, Calif. – Al Murray, a former council member in the City of Tustin, and Dana Reed, a council member in the City of Indian Wells, have been selected to lead the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency (Agency) Board of Directors (Board) in 2019 and provide oversight of key initiatives outlined in the LOSSAN Agency’s annual business plan, which was submitted today.
Murray was unanimously selected as chairman of the LOSSAN Agency Board. He was first elected to the Tustin City Council in 2010 and has also served on the Orange County Transportation Authority Board, the Orange County Fire Authority Board, and as a member of the Santa Ana/Tustin Joint Powers Agency and the Association of California Cities – Orange County. Murray retired from a 35-year career in law enforcement as a lieutenant with the Irvine Police Department. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Phoenix and a master’s in business administration from National University.
“I’m honored to be selected by my peers to help guide the LOSSAN Agency’s efforts over the next year,” Murray said. “I look forward to working with our member agencies and stakeholders to continue our efforts to improve and expand the Pacific Surfliner service.”
City of Indian Wells Council Member Dana Reed was selected to serve as vice chairman of the LOSSAN Agency Board. Reed was elected to the Indian Wells City Council in 2014 and served as its mayor in 2016. He also serves on the Riverside County Transportation Commission and chaired the agency last year. He has a long career in the transportation industry, previously serving as Undersecretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Executive Director of the California Toll Bridge Authority, and as a member of the California Transportation Commission and Orange County Transportation Authority Board.
Led by Murray and Reed, the Board recently approved the LOSSAN Agency’s annual business plan for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21, which was submitted to the California State Transportation Agency on April 1. The business plan outlines key LOSSAN Agency goals and objectives for improving the Pacific Surfliner intercity rail service and ensuring its continued growth and success. It also includes a request for sufficient state funding to operate the existing and planned Pacific Surfliner intercity rail and Amtrak Thruway bus services managed by the LOSSAN Agency.
The funding request for FY 2019-20 includes a preliminary estimate for expanded Pacific Surfliner service, with the implementation of a 13th round trip between San Diego and Los Angeles, a 6th roundtrip between San Diego and Goleta, a 3rd roundtrip between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, as well as costs associated with continuing peak-period service between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
The LOSSAN Agency is governed by an 11-member Board composed of officials representing rail owners, operators, and planning agencies along the LOSSAN rail corridor between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
About the Pacific Surfliner
Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train travels along a 351-mile coastal rail route through San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, serving 27 stations. It is the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States with 24 daily trains and annual ridership of nearly 3 million. To learn more and plan a trip, visit PacifcSurfliner.com.
About the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency
The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency is a joint powers authority composed of rail owners, operators and planning agencies along the entire LOSSAN rail corridor. In addition to working to improve passenger rail ridership, revenue, on-time performance, operational flexibility, and safety, the LOSSAN Agency assumed management responsibility for the Pacific Surfliner service in July 2015, following the execution of an interagency transfer agreement with the state of California. For more information, visit lossan.org.
Media Contact:
Geena Russo, The ACE Agency, geena@theaceagency.com
