Hundreds of transit enthusiasts and workers gathered in the lobby of MTA HQ in the Financial District on Friday to give a proper send-off to outgoing NYC Transit President Andy Byford. Byford gave a short speech where he talked about some of the improvements to the MTA he was proud of during his brief but incredibly popular time as transit chief.
"This morning I did one of my last station visits and I made it to a tower with an ancient signal frame," he said. "The people up there are are still keeping it moving. You guys, the people on the front lines, are absolute miracle workers. I’m proud to be one of you, and I always will be."
He concluded things by declaring, "Train Daddy has left the building." Cue the bagpipes.
New Yorkers who turned out for the event were eager to express their gratitude to Byford for everything he had done to improve their commutes. “His departure is a really sad thing for New York City. I don’t know what’s going happen," said Naim Palanque, a 15-year-old aspiring transit worker.
“This is a major milestone in having a president that could actually achieve a turnaround that’s backed by hard data," added 59-year-old Jon Graham, who described himself as a rail fan.
“He let us know that we were valued, that we were respected,” said Theara Washington, an employee with the MTA’s track division for more than two decades who was holding a "Thank You Andy" sign. “It inspired me to get up in the morning and come to work with a purpose."
As Byford told the New Yorker this week, this isn't the way he would have wanted to end his association with the MTA: “I wish it hadn’t ended this way, and so soon,” he said. Throughout his tenure, Byford was said to be frequently frustrated by Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision-making, particularly as it related to the type of technology that should be used in a major subway re-signaling effort. The issue reportedly drove him to quit this past October, before later rescinding the resignation letter.
During an interview today on NY1, Cuomo declined to say whether he was sad to see Byford leave, and offered some mild praise: "Andy is a very good man, I think he did a good job at the transit authority. I think he was a welcome face for a lot of commuters, and he represented the agency well. They have a whole new team, there's a really great team at the MTA now, they're doing very well, if you look at the performance numbers [they're] way up, still more to do."
Although he is leaving his position with the MTA, Byford isn't technically going too far. As he told bus workers yesterday, Byford and his wife are staying in the city for the foreseeable future, so there's always a chance you'll run into him on the train. During a scrum with reporters today, Byford was asked whether he'd ever consider running for office in the city, which he said he wouldn't rule out.
Byford then left the event to have lunch with Pete Tomlin, the engineer that Byford had recruited to spearhead the wholesale resignaling of the trains, and who is also leaving the MTA. As they were leaving, one of the workers said to Tomlin, "Don't forget me now. Can you bring me with you?"
