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)