LIRR President Nowakowski to step down

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Patrick Nowakowski will resign tomorrow.

In a statement, he said now is a good time to "step aside and allow new leadership to continue the progress we've begun to make on improving customer service."

Nowakowski added that he's "pleased with the direction the railroad is headed" under its performance improvement plan, which the New York City-area commuter railroad unveiled last month.

His resignation comes after LIRR in 2017 logged its worst on-time performance in 18 years, Newsday reported. In January, the railroad's on-time performance was the lowest in 22 years, according to the newspaper.

Nowakowski became LIRR's president in 2014, succeeding Helena Williams. He previously worked at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, where he served for nearly three decades.

"I thank Pat for his service to LIRR customers and his steady and evenhanded leadership of the railroad at a time when external events caused challenges for the railroad, particularly Amtrak’s renewal of tracks and infrastructure at [New York] Penn Station that the entire LIRR depends on," said MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota in a statement.