Former Queensland Rail executive Theo Taifalos named new V/Line boss A QUEENSLAND Rail executive has been named the new boss of country train operator V/Line. Theo Taifalos will start as V/Line chief executive on May 20. Former chief executive Rob Barnett resigned in October last year hours before the regional rail operator tabled its annual report showing a seventh year of record patronage. Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said Mr Taifalos, who most recently worked as Queensland Rail's Chief Operating Officer, brought a strong commitment to passengers and safety. Passenger trips on V/Line trains and buses grew by 900,000 - or 6.2 per cent - to 15.6 million in 2011-12. Mr Taifalos said he was excited to lead V/Line into an new era with the introduction of myki, the Regional Rail Link and the delivery of 40 new V/Locity carriages. The State Government extended V/Line's franchise agreement in November for another six months while it undertakes an "efficiency review." Speculation was rife among industry insiders that the government-owned V/Line would be replaced with a private franchise operator when its agreement expired on December 31. Public Transport Victoria had the option of extending V/Line's agreement for a further 12 months, but only chose to extend it for six months until June 30. Ross Pedley, who has been acting V/Line CEO for the last seven months, will resume his role as general manager of corporate and finance.