Cesar Vergara

Cesar Vergara is a Mexican-born American industrial designer, specializing in rail transport. He has designed a number of passenger train locomotives and cars, including the GE Genesis, the Talgo trainsets used on Amtrak Cascades, and the MTA M8 railcar, and participated in the prototype development of the French high-speed AGV. He also designed the paint scheme for the DC Circulator and the taxis in Washington, D.C. Vergara has been recognized for his designs with a number of industry awards.

Early life The Amtrak Cascades trainsets include design from Vergara; he added the "fins" between the locomotive and first car, and created the unique paint scheme. Cesar Vergara was born in Mexico, to an architect father. Vergara's father was involved in designing stations for Mexico City's subway, and engaged his son in his work; Vergara's mother also supported his artistic inclinations. The Vergara family moved to Washington, D.C., and Cesar subsequently enrolled in a design school in Sweden at Konstfack - University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. In collaboration with GE Transportation, Vergara and the team he supervised came up with the GE Genesis. Unlike their predecessors, the Genesis locomotives incorporated a monocoque (one-piece) design conceived by Vergara, which made them lighter, more efficient, and more aerodynamic, despite being shorter and producing an additional . NJ Transit's then executive director said of his hiring "The first time we met, I suggested Cesar join us instead of just consulting. He couldn't believe I would turn the empire over to him and I couldn't believe a world-class designer would join us".