NCTD seeks TIGER VI grant for transit center, names Filippi chief of safety

The North County Transit District (NCTD) has applied for a $5 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) VI grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The agency proposes to use grant proceeds to fund the planning of a proposed transit center on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, which is the largest employer in north San Diego County. Currently, the majority or people access the base in private cars, which creates significant congestion both entering and exiting the base, NCTD officials said in a press release.

Last year, the U.S. Marine Corps Installations Command provided conceptual approval for a proposal to build a transit center on the base, which would serve NCTD's Coaster commuter-rail service and potentially serve Amtrak and Metrolink trains.

The Camp Pendleton Transit Center aligns well with the goals of the TIGER grant program to improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation for disconnected communities, NCTD officials said.

Meanwhile, Donald Filippi recently joined NCTD in the new role of chief of safety. Prior to joining the agency, he served five years as superintendent of transit operations and safety at the California Public Utilities Commission. He also worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 14 years, rising to the position of manager of operating practices. Earlier in his career, he was a locomotive engineer for Southern Pacific Railroad.

As chief of safety, Filippi will oversee a staff of three and work in concert with Transit Enforcement, the agency's passenger safety and security contractor. The agency's Safety Division is responsible for overseeing accident prevention and investigations, developing safety plans, providing safety reviews of operating and construction plans, and working with public safety agencies.