Metrolink peer review report - Ventura County Star

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METROLINK COMMUTER RAIL SAFETY PEER REVIEW PANEL Final Report – January 5, 2009 Issue Papers SCRRA’s Strategic Plan should be an integrated plan developed under the leadership of SCRRA senior management and include input of board members, member agencies and other interested parties. Furthermore, this plan should be developed with the use of a facilitator that will lead the discussions and the overall plan development. The SCRRA Board plays a major role in the operation of Metrolink and the overall strategy that the Agency uses for program development and Agency culture. It is very important that the Board have a role in the development and maintenance of the strategic plan and become partners within the plan. By including members of the Agency at all levels, the plan becomes accepted by all levels of the Agency. Not only do the individual team members take ownership, but also staff and other associated Agency personnel take a keener interest in the document. The scope of strategic planning should include strategic operational and safety issues in addition to capital projects. The overall safety culture of the Agency is not only defined in its response to incidents, but to the manner in which day to day operations are conducted. It is important that safety goals are established within the strategic plan that will set the tone for the Agency. The inclusion of team members from all levels of the staff propagates the safety culture and places it on everyone’s mind. The use of a strategic planning team/committee allows the development of a mutual understanding among Member Agencies, board members, and Agency staff of Metrolink challenges and opportunities. This overall approach allows the Member Agencies to move their capital programs forward while allowing staff to provide input on the operational needs of such an improvement. The results will be a strategy that will be all inclusive and well-rounded. In this way, the strategic planning process becomes a team building exercise and an important ingredient in development of the Agency’s safety culture. 64
METROLINK COMMUTER RAIL SAFETY PEER REVIEW PANEL Final Report – January 5, 2009 Issue Paper #8: Governance Issue Papers Governance means the Board’s role in promoting safe and secure commuter rail operations, fostering a top-tobottom safety culture, and exercising appropriate oversight of safety and operational performance. The Panel’s observations and recommendations concerning SCRRA governance are based on interviews with SCRRA staff, selected board members, and Member Agency staff who manage the Member Agency-SCRRA relationships; guidebooks and other published material concerning board governance at public transportation agencies; and the collective experience of the Panel. Observations The members of the SCRRA Board must represent the interests and concerns of the jurisdictions they represent. At the same time, they also must fulfill their fiduciary duties to SCRRA, which requires representing the interests of the organization, the overall system it operates, and all of the passengers and communities it serves throughout the region. With respect to the latter, the Board has concentrated on high-level policies of the Agency, particularly with respect to budget and financing and the extent and scope of existing and future services. These are important topics that must be addressed by the Board. Although the Board strongly supports the goal of accident-free operations, it has devoted relatively little attention to oversight of safety and operations. For example, Metrolink’s strategic plan focuses exclusively on capital projects and does not specifically address safety or operational issues, and the Board has not been proactively involved in the development of, and regular monitoring of, system safety and performance measures. Recommendations a. With staff and perhaps professional consulting assistance, the Board should conduct a self-assessment of its performance with particular emphasis on safety and operational oversight. b. This assessment should lead a more explicit definition of Board and Board member responsibilities and actions that might include: i. More rigorous briefing sessions for new Board members; ii. Board-adopted statement of duties and responsibilities for Board members and for the Board as a whole; iii. Establishment of new or rechartered standing subcommittees with added focus on operations and safety oversight and, possibly, a subcommittee devoted to assessing Board performance; iv. Board-adopted safety and operational performance measures; v. Guidelines for the addition of safety and operational staff positions as new services are introduced; vi. Revised, more comprehensive strategic plan that addresses safety and operational issues; and vii. Direct board involvement in developing and updating the Enhanced Safety Action Plan and monitoring its implementation. 65
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