The namesake of San Jose’s Diridon Station, the city’s central passenger rail depot, has died.
The station is named for former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon Sr. His death was announced Friday night by the Valley Transportation Authority on social media.
The VTA announcement hailed Diridon as “a visionary leader and tireless champion of public transportation.”
“For more than 50 years, Rod advocated for expanded, equitable transit, helping shape the systems our communities depend on today,” VTA said. “His leadership and passion connected people, strengthened our region, and advanced sustainable mobility.”
Diridon in 2001 was appointed by Gov. Gray Davis to serve on the High Speed Rail Authority.
He served as executive director for the Mineta Transportation Institute, a transportation policy research and education center in San Jose, which was created by Congress in 1991.
Diridon served as a member of both the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Clara County Transit Board from 1979 to 1999.
He also served as chairman on seven rail project boards, including Caltrain and the Guadalupe Corridor Light Rail Project.
He chaired the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the national American Public Transit Association Board and was vice-chair for the Americas of the International Transit Association in Brussels.