Leanne Redden | Executive Director
Regional Transportation Authority Chicago | United States

Leanne Redden, Executive Director, Regional Transportation Authority Chicago


Leanne Redden was appointed executive director of the RTA in October, 2014. In her role as executive director, Redden heads the unit of local government charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Bus and ADA Paratransit (the Service Boards). Before joining the RTA, Redden was Chief of Planning for the Illinois Tollway and Director of Transportation for the Village of Schaumburg.

Redden was instrumental in developing Strategic Long Range Planning initiatives for the region’s transit system and was a key player in the state’s 2008 Funding Reform Legislation. Under her leadership, the RTA Planning Department completed the first Regional Market and Systems Analysis and Bus Rapid Transit work, including the region’s first bus-on-shoulder service.

Redden was named 2015 “Woman of the Year” by the Chicago chapter of Women in Transportation, is a Conference of Minority Transportation Officials 2016 “Woman Who Moves the Nation” and a 2006 alumna of the Leadership Greater Chicago.  In 2016, she was named to the Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity board of directors and is also a member of the Ely Chapter of the Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Society, for her work relating to the use and re-use of land.   Redden also serves on the American Public Transportation Association’s Board of Directors.  

To learn about more about the RTA, follow the agency blog, Ride On, and follow Executive Director Redden on Twitter @LReddenRTA. 

Appearances:



World Metro Rail Congress Day 1 @ 09:30

Keynote Panel: How can the rail industry fully embrace the digital revolution and bring us into the 21st century?

  • What will be the ultimate impact of IoT, artificial intelligence and sensor led technology on our business and our passengers?
  • Are future integrated transport networks still going to rely on systems that feed the metro, or more point-to-point solutions?
  • How will maintenance systems change and what will we need to do to integrate and effectively use all the data now becoming available?
  • The future for artificial intelligence in rail, how can it help keep trains moving, avoid delays and improve customer service?
  • Passenger expectations are rising – How do operators cater for the modern multimodal ‘always connected’ passenger?

World Metro Rail Congress Day 1 @ 17:20

Closing keynote panel: How can we make sure that the urban rail investments that we make now will pay dividends for our cities in the future?

  • Weighing up the initial investment in new technologies such as predictive maintenance when your current infrastructure is in need of repair?
  • How can we deliver higher levels of sustainability, cost-efficiency and drive capacity on our existing budgets?
  • What more can we do to get the most out of our existing infrastructure and what technologies can help us?
  • What are the latest innovative ways to fund new projects and raise money for improvements?

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