February 20, 2022 - TRA Newswire -

The next chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston METRO) is noted Indian-American engineer Sanjay Ramabhadran. He becomes the first from the community to lead a major public transportation agency in Texas.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner made the announcement on Thursday. The 51-year old Rambhadran is a registered engineer and a graduate of BITS-Pilani and Texas A&M University. He served on the METRO Board since 2015 and currently serves as the Chair of the Capital & Strategic Planning Committee and is a member of the Finance & Audit Committee.

METRO operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, High Occupancy Vehicle lane and High Occupancy Toll lanes, and paratransit service in the city and most of Harris County. Ramabhadran has helped oversee the planning, design, construction, and launch of major projects, including METRONext.  He also worked to expand METRO's bus rapid transit service.

Rambhadran was past president of the Indo-American Chamber of Greater Houston (IACCGH).

Mayor Turner said that “Ramabhadran knows how to get people together and knows how to get things done. There is incredible talent in our city. That gives me hope that no matter what challenges we face, we will overcome those challenges if we work together.”