Episode 5
Crafting Connectivity: Ben Limmer’s Vision for Public Transport
In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort sits down with Ben Limmer, Chief of Public Transportation for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. They talk about what it takes to run a massive statewide transit agency with a billion-dollar budget that is a critical part of the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington D.C. Paul and Ben talk about Ben's career journey--like many of us, he fell into transit accidentally--and how several important mentors shaped his career. Ben talks about Connecticut's major transportation projects, including investments in infrastructure, electrification programs, and bus network revamps.
Ben and Paul wrap the conversation with a discussion about what's going to be important to transit in the next few years. Tune in for this insightful chat about the present and future of transit in Connecticut.
Coming up next week on the show we have Matt Booterbaugh, CEO of transit contractor RAPT Dev USA. Talking about the role of contracting in transit and his secret to fill the bench with future transit leaders.
00:00 Introduction from host Paul Comfort
00:17 Meet Ben Limmer: Chief of Public Transportation
02:13 Big Projects and Responsibilities at CTDOT
06:38 Career Journey and Mentorship
14:56 Referendums and Public Support
16:35 Future of Public Transportation
18:52 Conclusion and Future Plans
19:15 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Modaxo Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries, or any entities they represent (“Modaxo”). This production belongs to Modaxo, and may contain information that may be subject to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights and restrictions. This production provides general information, and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. Modaxo specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and will not be liable for any losses, claims, or damages arising from the use of this presentation, from any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken in response to it.
Transcript
You ever wondered what it's like to lead a large statewide transit
Speaker:agency serving multiple cities with thousands of drivers and mechanics
Speaker:and staff and a billion dollar budget?
Speaker:Well today we're going to tell you what it's like.
Speaker:With Ben Limmer.
Speaker:He is the Chief of Public Transportation for the Connecticut
Speaker:Department of Transportation.
Speaker:We ask them what it's like to lead a big agency, what are some of the
Speaker:big projects they're working on, how has it worked for financing and
Speaker:customer experience and technology, performance management improvements.
Speaker:We walk through his career.
Speaker:How did he get into public transportation?
Speaker:How has he worked his way upward?
Speaker:What's the importance of mentors in your career?
Speaker:What does that really mean?
Speaker:What is a mentor?
Speaker:We talk about mentors that he and I have both had along our career
Speaker:and what they've meant to us.
Speaker:Plus, a look at what the future of public transportation looks
Speaker:like not only for his state of Connecticut, but for the whole nation.
Speaker:You're really going to enjoy this interesting, in depth interview with Ben
Speaker:Lemmer, Chief of Public Transportation for the Connecticut DOT, all on
Speaker:this episode of Transit Unplugged.
Speaker:My good friend, Ben Limmer, thanks so much for being with us today on the podcast.
Speaker:Yeah, Paul, thanks for having me.
Speaker:We were hanging out recently, I think it was in APTA we were hanging out.
Speaker:Glad to have you on the show.
Speaker:I mean, you've been there.
Speaker:You're the Chief of Public Transportation at the Connecticut
Speaker:Department of Transportation.
Speaker:Two years now.
Speaker:That's amazing, man.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:Time flies when you're having fun, as they say.
Speaker:There you go.
Speaker:Well, there's a lot to talk about today.
Speaker:Some of it is your career progression, some of the big projects you've
Speaker:been working on, the referendums, that you've been through.
Speaker:We've just been through an election here in the U.
Speaker:S., so people are very interested in how that works, and, and we've
Speaker:had actually pretty good news across America as a result of the elections.
Speaker:So we've got a lot to talk about.
Speaker:let's do it.
Speaker:Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker:Let's dive in.
Speaker:Let's just jump in first.
Speaker:If you could, if you don't mind, tell us about CT Transit.
Speaker:It's a little bit different than like a transit authority because you, like some
Speaker:of the other agencies in the Northeast are part of the state government.
Speaker:Yeah, we are.
Speaker:Paul, first of all, thanks for having me.
Speaker:Thanks for helping public transit get the word out and tell our story.
Speaker:This tool, this podcast, all the other.
Speaker:things that you do go a long way towards telling that story.
Speaker:But about CT Transit or CTDOT, we are a statewide transit operation.
Speaker:I myself oversee passenger rail, freight rail, local bus services,
Speaker:passenger ferry, as well as private transportation services.
Speaker:We're a little unique with other statewide agencies in that CTDOT oversees about
Speaker:three fourths of the bus service.
Speaker:The other quarter is spread out with these local transit districts.
Speaker:And then we have three inner city commuter rail lines, where we have
Speaker:service providers for each of them.
Speaker:And then, of course, we play your traditional DOT role with, you
Speaker:know, doling out state funds to support transit of, all types and
Speaker:oversee policies, regulations.
Speaker:You know the drill.
Speaker:you've had a, you've had a great career in transit and I'm gonna
Speaker:dive into that in a few minutes, to kind of walk through your career.
Speaker:But first off, let's talk about what you're doing right now at CT Transit.
Speaker:What are some of the big projects on your plate?
Speaker:What excites you?
Speaker:What gets you up in the morning?
Speaker:You're like, yeah, man, I can't wait to get into that.
Speaker:Or, oh no, I hate to give up.
Speaker:It's going to be rough
Speaker:today.
Speaker:I
Speaker:tell you what, both of those are about the same, right?
Speaker:I understand.
Speaker:Yeah, some of the big things that we are working on, of course, Connecticut
Speaker:is a key stakeholder in the Northeast Corridor, so we have received billions
Speaker:of dollars, honestly, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
Speaker:For new bridges, speed enhancements, and, and the like, so it's incredibly
Speaker:exciting to be in charge of such a large capital program, on the Northeast
Speaker:Corridor, Our neighbors are also very interested in the same things we are,
Speaker:but, you know, with that, you know, it's a lot of responsibility with
Speaker:the huge cash infusion, so we can certainly get into that, making sure
Speaker:projects are delivered on time, on budget, you know, all of the things.
Speaker:Also we have a very aggressive electrification program
Speaker:for our bus services.
Speaker:We're also looking at our rail services.
Speaker:That's extremely exciting as we look to modernize our fleet
Speaker:and the, facilities with those.
Speaker:And then, you know, a third one would be, we are looking at more service
Speaker:types, so we do have one of the premier bus rapid transit lines, which
Speaker:connects Hartford with New Britain in the central part of the state.
Speaker:We're actively working on a new BRT line in New Haven, so
Speaker:those things are all exciting.
Speaker:Of course, I enjoy the people who work in transit.
Speaker:I love the customers, speaking to them, and having a statewide gig, I
Speaker:do get to interact with communities of all shapes and sizes, right?
Speaker:So those things keep me going, Paul.
Speaker:So right after this word, we're going to take a break here, but
Speaker:when we come back, we're going to talk to you about your career, Ben.
Speaker:So get ready to tell us all about your career path and lessons learned
Speaker:and where you think, where you think things are going in this industry.
Speaker:Hey, sorry to jump in here on the show, but I know if you're listening to this
Speaker:podcast, you'd be interested in this.
Speaker:Did you know that Transit Unplugged also produces a video podcast?
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:You're listening to the audio podcast, which has been around for seven years, a
Speaker:half hour show every week on Wednesdays.
Speaker:But now.
Speaker:Our Transit Unplugged TV show goes around the world and visits cities
Speaker:to showcase the food, fun, and culture of the city, and then show
Speaker:you the public transportation system behind the scenes and how to use
Speaker:that system to get around the city.
Speaker:It's on YouTube on our channel, Transit Unplugged TV.
Speaker:That show drops once a month.
Speaker:On the second Thursday of the month.
Speaker:One week later, we drop our Behind The Scenes show on the
Speaker:third Thursday of the month.
Speaker:And on this, you get to hear the full interviews.
Speaker:Interviews that used to be left on the cutting room floor that we
Speaker:weren't able to fit into the TV show.
Speaker:So we're taking all those interviews.
Speaker:and putting them on a behind the scenes show.
Speaker:For those of you who are really interested in what's happening and want to hear,
Speaker:kind of like a transit nerd, you know, you want to hear what's really going
Speaker:on behind the scenes and get the full interview, make sure you subscribe
Speaker:on our YouTube page and you'll get an addition to your YouTube subscriptions
Speaker:where you can watch it the third Thursday of every month, Transit Unplugged TV
Speaker:Behind the Scenes, a video podcast.
Speaker:We're with Ben Limmer, who is the Chief of Public Transportation for the
Speaker:Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Speaker:Ben, you've been there for two years, but you've had quite a great career.
Speaker:You and I have been friends for a long time.
Speaker:I've seen your career.
Speaker:I think I've known you since you were at MARTA.
Speaker:Why don't you walk us through your career a little bit and where you've
Speaker:been and some highlights, and then we're going to talk about, you know, I'm even
Speaker:interested in how you got into transit.
Speaker:A lot of people fall into transit.
Speaker:Let's start there.
Speaker:How did you get into public transit?
Speaker:I fell into transit, undoubtedly.
Speaker:I was an urban, well, you know, as a kid, I grew up in, Michigan, Flint,
Speaker:Southeast Michigan, my family, aunts, aunts, uncles, grandmother, they all
Speaker:worked for General Motors or Buick, so my family reunions were often
Speaker:like union gatherings, in a way.
Speaker:But, so, I definitely saw transportation through, through a different lens.
Speaker:when I was in my graduate program, getting a master's in urban planning,
Speaker:very interested in what made cities work, and transportation was definitely,
Speaker:critical to that, but I tell you, I fell in love with the aviation
Speaker:industry when I was in grad school and thought that's what I was going to do.
Speaker:But I got offered an internship at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit,
Speaker:agency in Ohio and I never looked back.
Speaker:You know, there I got to work on a very large project at the
Speaker:Healthline Bus Rapid Transit.
Speaker:And then grew from there.
Speaker:From Cleveland, I moved to Phoenix.
Speaker:I worked for Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona for about a decade.
Speaker:I got to work on, you know, the light rail startup as well as the
Speaker:build out of that transit system.
Speaker:From there, I moved to Atlanta.
Speaker:I worked mostly for MARTA.
Speaker:I also worked for a year in City Hall doing lots of big capital projects.
Speaker:I spent a couple years in Florida, in Tampa, I also ran bus operations
Speaker:in, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Speaker:So, yeah, you're, you're right.
Speaker:I have been Around, been in Connecticut two years, and of course, looking
Speaker:forward to what the future holds here.
Speaker:Along the way in your career, tell us about any, you've mentioned a
Speaker:couple, but any key moments or key mentors that you had along the way.
Speaker:Oh, countless.
Speaker:you know, when I was in, Cleveland, one of my key mentors, who is
Speaker:now a county administrator, was, was the city planning director.
Speaker:His name's Christopher Mahin.
Speaker:he's a pretty prominent local leader within Northeast Ohio.
Speaker:Chris really took me under his wing and helped me navigate the city.
Speaker:But he also kind of coached me on public service and what it meant to
Speaker:be a, a, you know, public servant at heart throughout my career.
Speaker:Chris definitely propelled me forward.
Speaker:When it got to Phoenix, Rick Simonetta CEO.
Speaker:Rick's the CEO of CEO in a way.
Speaker:I don't know if that's a thing, but just, I guess it is now.
Speaker:Rick really helped me go from managing little projects to this
Speaker:is yours and I have your back and, you know, really model, what it
Speaker:took to me to be a transit leader.
Speaker:There were a lot of other local, stakeholders in Phoenix.
Speaker:I recall two people who were a couple.
Speaker:they were community activists in South Phoenix.
Speaker:We, I, I've worked with them on, you know, laying the groundwork for the
Speaker:South Central Light Rail line, that power couple was Ruben and Kate,
Speaker:Kate Gallegos, Kate is now mayor of Phoenix, Ruben just got elected, U.
Speaker:S.
Speaker:Senator, little did I know at the time, so just, be careful, but yeah, yeah,
Speaker:it's, it's definitely an I Knew You When that, that's certainly a good story.
Speaker:In Atlanta, though, the, probably one of the greatest, if not the greatest,
Speaker:mentor throughout my entire career.
Speaker:I've, I've been lucky to have dozens, but no doubt Keith Parker at, MARTA,
Speaker:that was a member of his team, and, being able to turn around an agency
Speaker:or be part of, part of a team that turned around an, an agency that was
Speaker:really on the brink of was thrilling.
Speaker:Nerve wracking, exciting, you know, there was a lot of pressure, but I,
Speaker:I, I truly grew fast from Keith's leadership and, you know, I still
Speaker:talk to Keith frequently to this day.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You know, we don't talk enough about mentors, I think, on our show.
Speaker:Let's just, Take one more minute and talk about that, the role they
Speaker:play in our lives and careers.
Speaker:how is, how important do you think it is for someone who wants to move up
Speaker:in their career to executive positions to latch on to someone to be a mentor?
Speaker:Absolutely critical.
Speaker:And, you know, select mentors in and out of public service and in
Speaker:and out of public transportation.
Speaker:that's absolutely key to make sure it gives you the full view.
Speaker:But it's absolutely critical to success.
Speaker:You know, learning from them, having a, trusted, person that, that you can
Speaker:lean on when things are, you know, things may be a little challenging, ask
Speaker:questions of, you know, it's absolutely critical to your success and, you
Speaker:know, Be open to having mentors from, you know, maybe non traditional areas,
Speaker:throughout, throughout the community or the organizations that you're involved in.
Speaker:I've got a chapter in my upcoming book called I Met a Guy, and it's about, you
Speaker:know, these kind of outside mentors, some of them not even in my area, but because
Speaker:I met them, they opened up an opportunity for me, and I think what you've got there
Speaker:is right, and sometimes it may not even be a traditional mentor, like I remember,
Speaker:when Governor Hogan appointed me at MTA, the head of the airport, At the time,
Speaker:became kind of like a mentor to me.
Speaker:His name was Paul Wiedefeld, and he was heading BWI Airport at the time,
Speaker:and he reached out, because he had been the head of MTA in a previous iteration
Speaker:of his career, and he said, Paul, let me show you how this place really
Speaker:operates, because it was the first time I'd worked in a statewide agency,
Speaker:just like you're doing now, with all these different modes and operations.
Speaker:So he was over the Aviation Administration, I was over
Speaker:the Transit Administration.
Speaker:So he took me around, showed me inside and outside, Side and how things work.
Speaker:And it really opened my eyes to the bigger picture.
Speaker:and then of course later he became head of WMATA in Washington.
Speaker:Now he's back in Maryland as Secretary of Transportation under Governor Moore.
Speaker:So like you said, you know, people move around in their careers and Paul
Speaker:was a great, I wouldn't even consider him a traditional mentor, just a
Speaker:guy that kind of mate was my buddy who helped open up things for me.
Speaker:And so that's something else I wanted you to comment on before we go a little
Speaker:bit further is, When somebody starts in a new organization, I think it's
Speaker:important for them to understand the culture of that organization, right?
Speaker:Because some different cultures are different, some are more
Speaker:professional, some are more buddy buddy, some are more family.
Speaker:so, but having somebody assigned to you almost at the beginning when you come
Speaker:in, or somebody that reaches out to you, how important is that to be, to have
Speaker:a buddy when you come into a new job?
Speaker:Vital.
Speaker:absolutely vital, you know, and I, I've, I've, leaned on folks who do, you
Speaker:know, many of which, you know, probably pretty well who are in my kitchen
Speaker:cabinet and who I seek guidance of on a continuous basis, especially as I'm
Speaker:looking to make a career transition.
Speaker:Leaned on a couple when I came to, Connecticut, but also specific to the job.
Speaker:I, I recall before I accepted the job in Tampa, I spent days and days
Speaker:and days meeting with anyone and everyone who would meet with me.
Speaker:And, you know, there was one lady in particular, very prominent local lawyer,
Speaker:who really took me under her wing to, to teach me all I needed to know about the
Speaker:city of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and even kind of that old Tampa Bay area.
Speaker:Her name's Rhea Law.
Speaker:She's now president of the University of South Florida, where my daughter goes.
Speaker:Full circle there, man.
Speaker:But, you know, Rhea really helped me navigate that community
Speaker:and I, I've, I've used similar strategies throughout my career.
Speaker:That's, that's really good.
Speaker:Somebody who's maybe not directly related to transportation, but helps
Speaker:you adjust to the city and the region.
Speaker:That's so important.
Speaker:speaking of different cities, we just came through the elections here in
Speaker:America and there were, you know, APTA came out with the numbers,
Speaker:but there was, you know, a lot of referendums and the majority of them
Speaker:passed to add more funding to transit.
Speaker:You've been through some of them, right?
Speaker:Tell us through some of the referendums you've been involved in.
Speaker:This is absolutely something that just happened.
Speaker:after the Healthline, project role in Ohio, I moved to Phoenix where
Speaker:they had just passed a Proposition 4 for a 20 year referendum.
Speaker:Since then, I've worked on eight more.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Throughout my career, both at the very local level I've
Speaker:worked on, up until Gwinnett in Georgia, I, all of them passed.
Speaker:they were of various sizes and scopes.
Speaker:some included all transit, others were a mix of all transportation modes.
Speaker:but that was certainly a common denominator that just grew and
Speaker:grew rapidly throughout my career.
Speaker:And, you know, watching a community and just taking the pulse of a community
Speaker:and what, what they needed as far as moving throughout their community.
Speaker:And then get to work with stakeholders and the public and, and the light
Speaker:to make it happen, put it together.
Speaker:And then of course, it's delivering on the promise that you made, you know, it's,
Speaker:it, it doesn't stop when people check yes.
Speaker:Then the real work begins so quickly getting investments, visible
Speaker:investments, throughout the community is absolutely critical as well.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Yeah, it's, been a, been a great ride in that regard.
Speaker:That's good.
Speaker:And that's really the last thing I want to ask you about.
Speaker:We've talked about your past, we've talked about your present,
Speaker:now let's talk about the future.
Speaker:what do you see as the future of public transportation?
Speaker:You know, let's talk writ large, for America and the world, but
Speaker:then also for Connecticut Transit.
Speaker:Yeah, I mean, big picture, you know, public transportation agencies
Speaker:need to make sure that we tell our story, as I said at the beginning.
Speaker:we do need to be able to articulate what the value of public transportation
Speaker:is above and beyond just how many people we serve or whether
Speaker:or not our buses are on time.
Speaker:Be able to articulate the value we add to communities.
Speaker:also public transportation agencies are, are more than just buses and trains.
Speaker:so we are true mobility providers and mobility managers, so that is
Speaker:absolutely critical to the future.
Speaker:And thirdly, kind of like we were talking about with the workforce development,
Speaker:being open and willing to sit at tables that public transit agencies and
Speaker:representatives have not sat at before.
Speaker:you know, you never know, partnerships are a key to the future and key to not only
Speaker:survival but sustainability going forward.
Speaker:So just being open to forge new partnerships for the benefits
Speaker:of the communities you work in.
Speaker:In Connecticut, we're very much looking forward to to continuing to build upon
Speaker:the foundation of customer experience, programs and projects that we started
Speaker:over the last year and a half, so undoubtedly, those, you know, speed
Speaker:along the Northeast Corridor is a huge priority of not only the state of
Speaker:Connecticut, as well as the Governor's Office, but but also the New York,
Speaker:transit operations, and of course Amtrak.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:So those are wonderful partners to have, but speed along the
Speaker:Northeast Corridor and getting these major capital projects moving.
Speaker:it's definitely a top key priority.
Speaker:And then lastly, it's making sure the whole area is served.
Speaker:So you know, we've, we've been getting, you know, we've been
Speaker:revamping our bus network.
Speaker:I know you've worked on a couple of those throughout your own career, Paul.
Speaker:and so just making sure that our bus network is, it reflects the
Speaker:post pandemic travel patterns.
Speaker:So those are some key things that we are working on here.
Speaker:That's awesome, man.
Speaker:I love your vision for the future.
Speaker:I feel very optimistic about the future myself.
Speaker:We're actually, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to come up to Connecticut
Speaker:and meet with you later this year and do just what you're talking about, which is,
Speaker:we're going to use the Transit Unplugged TV show to tell the story of Connecticut
Speaker:transportation and what you all are doing there and showcase you to the world.
Speaker:Thank you so much today for being our guest and giving us a preview.
Speaker:Yeah, thanks, Paul.
Speaker:Thanks for having me.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Transit Unplugged with our
Speaker:guest, Ben Limmer of the Connecticut Department of Transportation.Hi,
Speaker:I'm Tris Hussey, y, editor of the Transit Unplugged podcast.
Speaker:And coming up next week, we have the CEO of RAPT Dev USA, Matt Booterbaugh on the
Speaker:show talking about contracting and how to build the bench of future transit leaders.
Speaker:Wherever you listen to Transit Unplugged, take a moment and
Speaker:share the show with a friend.
Speaker:We have some great shows coming up to wrap up the year that we think
Speaker:you and your friends will enjoy.
Speaker:First, we have Paul's take on 2024 and the year to come in an interview with our
Speaker:own award winning radio host Julie Gates.
Speaker:And then, on New Year's Eve, we have transit futurist Rudy Salo
Speaker:talking with Paul on what his take on 2025 holds for transit.
Speaker:But, you'll miss all of them if you don't follow Transit
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Speaker:So, until next week, ride safe and ride happy
