Gazing at scenes of carnage on his television screen yesterday morning, Brother Gerald Molyneaux said his first chill of fear was for his friend and former student, Tim O'Toole.

	Transport for London
	Tim O'Toole

Molyneaux knew that O'Toole, a Pittsburgh native who now heads London's Underground subway, rides his system's trains to work each day. "I was scared, really scared,'' he said.

But after a relative alerted him that O'Toole had appeared unharmed in news reports from London, Molyneaux said the relief that swept through him was not just for O'Toole, but for millions of Londoners who rely on the sprawling transportation system he runs.

"He is the right man with a great background to bring to a crisis,'' said Molyneaux, who heads the communications department at LaSalle University in Philadelphia.

"He's a very level-headed guy, not one to go into a panic situation,'' he said. "If smarts can carry the day, Tim is ready.''

As managing director of London Underground Ltd. for two years, Timothy T. O'Toole was among the first officials to be sought out after yesterday's deadly explosions. He appeared at a morning news conference carried on American television, where some Pittsburgh viewers recognized him as a former Conrail executive and graduate of Central Catholic High School and the University of Pittsburgh Law School.

O'Toole could not be reached yesterday, and an Underground spokeswoman said his immediate focus was on restoring train service. Downtown attorney David Hickton, a law school classmate, and other longtime friends said they were confident O'Toole will make that happen as quickly as possible.

"He is one of the smartest, most capable people I know, with excellent judgment and analytical ability,'' said Hickton. "It makes me feel better that he's on the front lines of things like this.''

Married and the father of two, O'Toole, 49, is the brother of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Lawrence J. O'Toole and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Politics Editor James O'Toole.

One of four children, O'Toole grew up in Highland Park and graduated in 1973 from Central Catholic High School, which in September named him to its Alumni Hall of Fame. Even in grade school, former classmates and instructors said they marveled at his dry wit, wide range of interests and mind so incisive that others quieted when he spoke in class.

"For the plays [at Sacred Heart School], I would get picked to be a sheep, or maybe a shepherd. He would always get picked to play Christ,'' said Steelers Merchandise Director Tim Carey, who called O'Toole his first friend. "[The Underground] did a world search and came up with him and it really says something about the guy.''

O'Toole graduated in 1977 as valedictorian of his class at LaSalle. While at Pitt Law School, he took an internship at Conrail, then returned to the freight company as a corporate attorney after graduating in 1980.

O'Toole remained with Conrail in Philadelphia for 21 years, rising to general counsel and other management positions before becoming president and chief executive officer in 1998.

In 2003, O'Toole was recruited to overhaul London's troubled Underground, a system beset by labor problems, overtaxed equipment and narrow tunnels dating to the 1860s. He said his first priority was safety -- a concern echoed in talks with friends last year at his Hall of Fame induction at Central Catholic.

"We talked about how there is always the danger of terrorism, in London as well as in any transportation system,'' said Brother Benedict Oliver, a former English teacher and principal at the school. "You couldn't have a job like that and not be aware of the possibilities.''