The Future of Rolling Stock, Sponsored by Clever Devices

IRJ Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith speaks with John Santamaria of
Clever Devices and Alex Pacquet of Alstom on the rise of
alternative traction in the rail industry as well as the latest
trends in passenger experience and the shift toward predictive
maintenance for rail vehicles. John Santamaria, Senior Vice
President of Rail, Clever Devices, is responsible for developing
and executing short-term and long-term business plans to increase
Clever’s market share in the rail industry. John also leads and
manages rail industry activities and personnel engaged in Business
Development, Project Management & System Deployment, Product
Management, and Quality Management sectors within the company.
Prior to joining Clever, John worked for New York City Transit for
24 years, most recently as Vice President and Chief Mechanical
Officer of the Car Equipment Division within the Department of
Subways. John also spent four years as Assistant CMO of NYCT’s Car
Equipment Engineering Department and as Assistant Chief Officer of
NYCT’s Central Electronics Shop for more than 10 years. John is a
licensed professional engineer in three states and is currently
Vice Chair of the APTA Rolling Stock Technical Committee. He is an
active participant within the UITP Rolling Stock Sub Committee and
is also a member of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society and
Metropolitan Railway Club. Alex Paquet, Customer Director, Midwest
United States, Alstom, since August 2022, is also responsible for
Business Development for the Rolling and Component division for
Alstom in North America. Alex prides himself on attaining customer
satisfaction and has led several customer experience enhancement
initiatives over the last several years to achieve that goal. Kevin
Smith, Editor-in-Chief, International Railway Journal, joined IRJ
in November 2009, becoming chief editor in February 2020. During
his time with IRJ, Smith has traveled the world, interviewing
leading figures and professionals from the global railway industry
and has tracked the sector’s transition into an increasingly
digitalized and connected industry. (Introductory music: “Tired
Traveler on the Way to Home” by Andrew Codeman – CC BY 3.0)