Metro's Steady Navigator

This month, Catoe and the board are expected to finalize performance goals to reduce train service disruptions caused by mechanical problems and improve bus on-time performance.

When Catoe took the job in January 2007, he was the fourth general manager to head the agency in 12 months. The last permanent chief was Richard A. White, who was forced out after nine years. Catoe, who receives $360,000 a year, oversees a $1.2 billion operating budget and a 10,000-person organization. He was the second-ranking official of the Los Angeles transit system.

Catoe pledged to boost safety and service at Metro after a string of fatal accidents. "The toughest issue was coming onboard after the fatalities," Catoe said during a meeting with reporters in January.

Catoe, 60, continues to be surprised when strangers stop him in the grocery store to talk about Metro. Unlike other major metropolitan areas, he said, riders in the Washington region are "very educated, very opinionated and can communicate very effectively."

Nancy Iacomini, chairman of the Metro-appointed Riders' Advisory Council, said she is encouraged by Catoe's willingness to listen to customers. When riders bombarded Metro with complaints after officials decided in December to run shorter trains on weekends, Catoe quickly reversed the decision after talking to customers on a weekend ride.

His leadership style is low-key. "I don't raise my voice. I don't beat on tables and shout," he said. "I have high expectations, and if you're unable to perform, then in that same tone, I'll tell you that you need to find something else to do."

Senior managers who have been fired include the head of track and structures, the chief engineer and the accounting director.

His executive team includes several close aides from Los Angeles and a handful of others he promoted from within.

While praising Catoe for having "many elements of a strong team," Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari noted that Catoe "probably needs additional assistance in some specific areas." He declined to elaborate.

According to Metro sources and others who work regularly with the agency, Catoe needs to add more experience to the operations team and improve coordination by making sure top managers share critical information. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing their jobs. In several instances, they said, follow-through on projects is spotty, and good ideas have met with resistance from middle- and lower-level managers who are afraid they will be blamed for mistakes.

In October, officials launched a major initiative to improve customer communications, one of the agency's biggest problems. A senior manager was put in charge. Wireless microphones were supposed to be given out so that station managers could leave their kiosks and relay information to riders on station platforms.

According to Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein, 20 of 39 targeted stations have received microphones. But operations personnel said the microphones are not working properly at some downtown locations.