NYC Transit’s Andy Byford, subway savior, quits amid Cuomo-ordered reorg

New York and its governor proved too much for Andy Byford, an outsider and veteran transit executive hired two years ago to be the savior of New York City’s subway system.

Byford resigned Thursday as president of NYC Transit, citing a reorganization of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority spearheaded by Gov. Cuomo as the reason for his departure.

That reorganization, formulated by the consulting firm AlixPartners to make the byzantine agency more efficient, stripped Byford of his control over transit construction projects.

“The AlixPartners MTA transformation plan called for the centralization of projects and an expanded HQ, leaving agency presidents to focus solely on the day-to-day running of service,” Byford wrote in his resignation letter.

 

“I have built an excellent team and there are many capable individuals in Transit and others within the MTA family, who could perform this important, but reduced, service delivery role.”

As the MTA made a series of senior-level hires this month to implement the AlixPartners reorganization, Byford quickly lost his grip on projects he helped plan.

Andy Byford Resignation by New York Daily News on Scribd

“There has been a very quick ascendance of the transformation folks,” said an MTA employee who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. “They’re in there and they’re cleaning house and rearranging a lot. It’s very clear that there’s a big team.”

Cuomo called Byford “a good man” and said “he did good work,” but also acknowledged that Byford was upset about being sidelined by the reorganization.

“I think he feels that the agency heads are basically about train operation and bus operation because centralized functions are centralized, and that’s true,” Cuomo said at a news conference.

Thursday wasn’t the first time Byford has called it quits at the MTA, but it appears to be the last.

In a three-page resignation letter in October, Byford laid out a a laundry list of complaints, including gripes about “gubernatorial interference,” MTA sources told the Daily News.

Byford quickly rescinded that resignation after MTA officials agreed to let him keep oversight of the modernization of the subway’s outdated signal system.

But that concession proved not to be enough.

MTA President Andy Byford is pictured Thursday after announcing his resignation in New York City. (Jesse Ward/for New York Daily News)

Cuomo was eager to dispel reports that he butted heads with Byford. “Most of my dealings were with [MTA chairman] Pat Foye, but I’ve had a fine relationship with Andy,” the governor said.

Byford’s last day at the agency will be Friday, Feb. 21. He is English, and holds an H-1B visa that authorizes him to work in the U.S. Byford will have 60 days after his resignation takes effect to leave the country if he does not find another U.S. employer to sponsor his visa.

Byford’s resignation shocked transit employees and MTA board members, who held their monthly public meeting Thursday.

“It’s unbelievable. This changes everything,” said Craig Cipriano, the MTA’s acting head of buses, who reports to Byford.

When Foye told board members that Byford was leaving, the room gave a round of applause to thank him for his service.

At the end of the meeting Byford thanked “New Yorkers for bearing with me, for putting up with me, for giving me this tremendous opportunity to live in this wonderful place.” (Jesse Ward/for New York Daily News)

At the end of the meeting Byford thanked “New Yorkers for bearing with me, for putting up with me, for giving me this tremendous opportunity to live in this wonderful place.” He also paid gratitude to the 50,000 transit workers who work for him, calling them “wonderful, decent, hardworking human beings.”

Before coming to the MTA, Byford served five years as head of the Toronto Transit Commission. He’s also held management jobs at transit agencies in London and Sydney.

Byford last year poached Pete Tomlin, a former colleague in Toronto, to oversee subway signal upgrades at the MTA. Tomlin said he plans to stay on at the MTA.

It’s unclear who will replace Byford as head of NYC Transit. Foye said a decision has not yet been made.

A chorus of transit advocates, riders and elected officials bemoaned Byford’s resignation — and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson even said he would try to get him to change his mind.

“I’m going to plead for him to stay and hopefully figure out with Pat Foye and other folks involved how to empower him,” Johnson said at a press conference. He called Byford’s departure “devastating and a really bad day for New York City.”

FILE – Cuomo, pictured in this MTA file photo, was eager to dispel reports that he butted heads with Byford. “Most of my dealings were with [MTA chairman] Pat Foye, but I’ve had a fine relationship with Andy,” the governor said. (Marc A. Hermann/MTA New York City Transit)

Johnson also said Byford’s departure shows why New York City should take over the subway and bus networks, which are now run by state government. Johnson has been campaigning for city control of buses and subways since last year.

Rachael Fauss, an analyst at the good government group Reinvent Albany, blamed Cuomo’s management style for Byford’s departure.

“Byford is widely known to have chafed at the politicization of the MTA under Gov. Cuomo, whose penchant for secretiveness, message control and top-down directives conflicted with Byford’s philosophy of building trust through consultation, personal accountability and transparency,” Fauss said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seen here greeting Metropolitan Transportation Authority President Andy Byford on April 12, 2018. (Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomor – Kevin P. Coughlin)

Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee at the MTA, said Byford’s replacement should be hired from within the agency. She worried that Byford’s departure could signal trouble for MTA efforts to attract and keep talented managers.

“The MTA has huge shoes to fill and must commit to continuing the tremendous strides that have been made under Andy Byford’s tutelage,” Daglian said.

David Bragdon, executive director of TransitCenter, credited Byford for rescuing the subway system from a crisis. “He made quick reforms, providing more clarity about the underlying causes of subway delays, and taking immediate steps to improve subway operations,” he said.
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