New York MTA Chairman Prendergast to retire

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast will retire early this year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday.

During his more than 25 years at the agency, Prendergast also served as president of MTA New York City Transit and Long Island Rail Road.

News of his retirement follows the opening of the first phase of New York City's long-awaited Second Avenue subway line, which began revenue service Jan. 1. In a statement, Cuomo said opening the new route marked an "incredible end" for Prendergast's career.

"Tom Prendergast has overseen the reimagining and modernization of the MTA and will be remembered for improving the commute, and the lives, of millions of New Yorkers who depend on our mass transit system," Cuomo said. "The on-time completion of the Second Avenue Subway would have been impossible without Tom's leadership and relentless commitment to meeting the goal."

The governor's statement didn't mention a specific date for Prendergast's planned departure, but noted only that it would take place "in early 2017."

Prendergast said that he's proud of MTA's integration of new technology into its system, as well as the agency's repair and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

"It's never easy to leave an organization after 25 years of service, but I do so knowing that the MTA will continue to serve the public so well and that our governor will ensure New York continues to have the most robust transportation system in the country," Prendergast added.