Kesich to lead rail operations for MTA-Metro North

MTA Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut has named John Kesich senior vice president-operations, a role he has filled on a temporary basis since May.

Kesich has served Metro-North for the past 25 years, most recently as assistant VP-chief mechanical officer. As CMO, he was responsible for leading the department's 1,300 employees and overseeing the maintenance of Metro-North's rail cars and locomotives.

As SVP of operations, Kesich will lead efforts to attain the safety goals and objectives of his division. He also will be responsible for advancing customer service priorities, such as on-time performance and efficiency, Metro-North officials said in a press release.

"John has done an excellent job managing difficult challenges and has always shown a keen understanding of the importance of safety for our customers and employees," Permut said.