Holly Arnold has spent her entire career at the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). Starting as a contractor in grants administration then leading capital planning and then Deputy Administrator responsible for engineering before she became Administrator and CEO two years ago. The head of the MTA is a massive job. Not only is she responsible for massive capital projects--like the largest public-private partnership (P3) in the U.S., the Purple Line--she is responsible for transit in the City of Baltimore, supporting all the other transit agencies in the state, commuter bus, commuter rail, subways, and paratransit. Running the MTA is like running five agencies at once!

Two years into the role, Holly talks with host Paul Comfort about the agency, her career, and the massive projects she is delivering. She talks about what she learned from each step on the way and how seizing opportunities as they presented themselves got her to the top job.

Delivering one large scale project is hard enough, but Holly is wrangling several expansions, including supporting Amtrak with a new tunnel to support higher speed passenger rail traffic. Holly talks candidly about her work and how her approach of getting her hands dirty learning about projects has helped her rise through the ranks to lead one of the largest transit agencies in North America.

Coming up next week, we have a special episode from APTA's Transit Authority podcast. APTA Vice President for Mobility Initiatives and Public Policy, Art Guzzetti talks with Amtrak CEO Stephcen Gardener live from the APTA EXPO in Orlando. This episode was originally released October 12, 2023. Learn more about The Transit Authority and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (https://podcast.apta.com/)

We're excited to announce a special Transit Unplugged live CEO round table. Hosted by Dr. Kaan Yildizgöz at UITP MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition (https://www.menatransport.org/website/3387/home/) on February the 29th at the Trapeze booth. We'll have guests, including UITP President Renee Amilcar and the Director General of the Integrated Transport Center in Abu Dhabi, Abdulla Al Marzooqi.

The MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition 2024 is the premier event focusing on sustainable urban mobility solutions in the MENA region. It takes place in Dubai from February 28th to March 1st, the event is co-organized by UITP and Dubai's RTA.

The MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition has been a leading platform for showcasing advancements in public transport since 2007.

If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected].

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:

• Paul Comfort, host and producer
• Julie Gates, executive producer
• Tris Hussey, editor and writer
• Tatyana Mechkarova, social media

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00:00 Holly Arnold: Building a career at the Maryland MTA

01:38 Overview of the Maryland Transit Administration

02:55 Discussion on the Purple Line Project

03:54 Career Advancement and Responsibilities

07:53 Holly Arnold's Leadership Journey

15:08 The Role of Engineering in Transit Agencies

17:01 Current and Future Projects at the Maryland Transit Administration

22:14 Wrap-up: The Impact and Future of Public Transit

23:10 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged