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Last December, MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) appointed line general managers to oversee the 7 and L lines. Now, the agency will appoint GMs for all its subway lines, decentralizing the operation and placing more direct responsibility on the managers. The move is the first major managerial reorganization of the subway department since it was created more than 50 years ago.

Once the plan is fully implemented in early 2009, 18 GMs will be in charge of NYCT's 26 subway lines. Some managers will be assigned to more than one line where ridership is low or lines share the same track.

Line GMs will be responsible for directing staff to address priority issues, responding to customer concerns, making decisions on how to best deliver service, and making regular visits to their line's stations, maintenance facilities and crew quarters. They also will be accountable for their line's performance indicators, such as on-time performance and mean distance between failure. GMs will be evaluated in several areas, including safety, customer service and employee morale, and report to five group general managers.

"The prime focus of the reorganization is to move the area of responsibility closer to the employees who provide the services and to the customers," said NYCT President Howard Roberts Jr. in a prepared statement. "Our line general managers will be expected to take a hands-on approach to addressing everything their customers experience, from service to the cleanliness of trains and stations."

Once the reorganization is complete, about 19,000 employees will be reassigned from the central division to the lines themselves. The reorganization is expected to save NYCT about $7 million annually.