CHESTERTON, Ind. — The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District has named David Dech, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, as its next president.
Dech will succeed Michael Noland on March 16 as president of the agency overseeing South Shore Line commuter rail service. Noland announced his plans to retire in November [see “Noland … to retire,” Trains.com, Dec. 1, 2025].
The NICTD board hired Dech, who oversees the Miami-area Tri-Rail service, at its Monday, Jan. 26, meeting. Dech began his career with 23 years at CSX as a conductor, engineer, and manager, then became vice president of rail operations for transit agency Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, in 2018. He became executive director of the SFRTA in August 2022.
Lakeshore Public Media reports Dech called the hiring “a full-circle moment,” saying that when he began in train service on CSX, he would take trains through Miller and Gary, Ind.
Dech becomes the third president of NICTD. Noland has held the position since October 2014.
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