[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 101 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF BART DIRECTOR THOMAS E. MARGRO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2007

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise with the support of my 
colleagues, Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Hon. Anna G. Eshoo, Hon. Mike Honda, 
Hon. Barbara Lee, Hon. Tom Lantos, Hon. Zoe Lofgren, Hon. Jerry 
McNerney, Hon. George Miller, Hon. Pete Stark, Hon. Lynn Woolsey of 
California, in the House of Representatives--to recognize Thomas E. 
Margro who has served the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 
as general manager since September 1996.
  Mr. Margro is the longest serving general manager in the district's 
history and held the post of assistant general manager, transit system 
development from 1990 to 1995, after a distinguished career with the 
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
  Mr. Margro guided the development, design, and construction of the 
$2.7 billion BART extensions program, expanding the system in the 
counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo including extensions 
to Pittsburg/Bay Point, Dublin/Pleasanton, and also spearheaded the 
successful modernization of the district with a 10 year, $1.2 billion 
system renovation program.
  In addition, he lead the development of the $1.5 billion San 
Francisco Airport, SFO, extension in partnership with the Bay Area 
congressional delegation, which created a state-of-the-art train to 
plane connection at SFO and also created an 9.8, 5-station extension 
through the Peninsula cities of Colma, South San Francisco, Bruno, 
Millbrae and Burlingame.
  Mr. Margro also partnered with the Bay Area congressional delegation 
to highlight the security needs of transit systems, and advocated for 
additional Federal transit dollars and greater regional cooperation to 
ensure that BART riders would receive their fair share of Federal 
security dollars.
  Along with the Bay Area congressional delegation, he successfully 
partnered to boost the amount of transit dollars returning to 
California as a part of the SAFETEA-LU authorization process--
successfully getting significant increases in BART formula funding 
through that process.
  Managing the district through difficult financial times, Mr. Margro 
ensured that BART maintained a stellar safety record, a 92 percent on-
time performance rating and an 85 percent customer satisfaction rating 
all the while; the efforts culminated in BART being awarded the coveted 
title ``#1 Transit System in America'' in 2004 by the American Public 
Transportation Association (APTA).
  The members of the San Francisco Bay area congressional delegation 
recognizance the immeasurable contribution Mr. Margro has made to the 
bay area region and we wish him success and happiness in his future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________