SF novel with twenty levels of subway conductor; guy freezes ocean with mind

[hargakanay]

Hi there, I'm a new poster on this forum, and I'm hoping that someone can help me! I read a book a few years ago which was based in a futuristic world, which was also very bureaucratic. The thing that sticks in my mind is that there were twenty-something types/levels of subway conductor. The main character has some kind of guilty secret or memory that he's trying to forget/ignore/atone for (I think it turns out that he killed a woman). The other thing I remember is that, near the end of the book, he succeeds in freezing the sea/ocean solid (using his mind), while he is on a plane.

Sorry that this is garbled; I can't remember enough to describe it very well. Hope someone can put me out of my misery!