Andy Byford resigns as NYCT president

January 23, 2020 Jonathan Sperling
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Nearly two years into his tenure as president of the MTA’s New York City Transit division, Andy Byford announced his resignation on Thursday.

Byford, who previously worked as the CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission, was hired as president of NYCT after Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the MTA, citing “maddening” delays.

“I’m very proud of what we have achieved as a team over the past two years and I believe New York City Transit is well placed to continue its forward progress now that the MTA has a record breaking $51.5 billion Capital Program in place,” Byford said in a statement Thursday.

He also thanked Cuomo, MTA Chairperson Patrick Foye and the MTA Board for the opportunity to lead North America’s largest transit system.

As news of Byford’s resignation reverberated across the city, its leaders, as well as transit advocates, seemed stunned.

“The resignation of Andy Byford as president of New York City Transit marks a devastating loss for New York City’s 8 million transit riders. Byford came to the MTA as a world-renowned expert on transit systems, and his bold plan to transform the agency came at the height of New York City’s transit crisis. Byford’s vision of excellent transit service was one that New Yorkers believed in and stood behind,” Straphangers Campaign Director Jaqi Cohen said in a statement.

Lawmakers in Queens also lamented the loss of Byford, who departed just as the borough expects to receive the largest bus network redesign in North America.

“Andy Byford’s resignation is a loss to transit riders throughout New York. He was a consummate professional who was poised to effectively use additional resources secured for transit by the state legislature,” State Sen. Michael Gianaris said. “The next New York City Transit President must be someone who is focused on increasing accessibility, effectively using new revenue, and improving service on our subways and buses.”

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