New York Daily News

Subways will sparkle: boss

- BY DAN RIVOLI

NYC TRANSIT chief Andy Byford is cleaning house.

The transit boss issued a memo Thursday after unveiling his ambitious Fast Forward modernizat­ion plan, detailing changes that he believes will make the system’s 472 stations sparkle.

Byford (inset) is changing the management structure for stations, a move that will open up 30 newly created positions.

The goal for transit officials is to streamline accountabi­lity for the stations — and the equipment inside, like countdown clocks and public announceme­nt systems — to a single person, rather than managers who are responsibl­e for different aspects of keeping a station in fine condition.

“I have seen similar structures work in other systems,” Byford wrote in the May 24 memo. “As a former Group Station Manager from the London Undergroun­d, I found the position to be one of the most rewarding of my career, and I very much look forward to the success it will bring to our system.”

These posts also include four district managers responsibl­e for “heavy duty cleaning and special maintenanc­e projects” at about 125 stations. Another 24 group station managers will be responsibl­e for about 25 stations each. Then there will be station superinten­dents who will be “leading the delivery of clean, well-maintained stations with excellent customer service,” the memo said.

Tyler Adams, 33, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, cited the Bowling Green station for the Nos. 4 and 5 lines in lower Manhattan as an example of a well-kept station, whereas others looked like they’ve been ignored for 25 years.

“What they’ve been doing hasn’t been working,” he said from the decrepit Chambers St. station (main photo) on the J and Z lines.

The MTA on Friday announced an effort to make repairs, plug up leaks and fix platforms and crumbling columns.

Over the next few months, Byford will be cutting several management positions in the station operations, maintenanc­e and cleaning divisions. The managers will be allowed to reapply for the new, streamline­d positions.

“We’re rolling that up to a single point of accountabi­lity,” said Sally Librera, the new vice president for subways at NYC Transit.

“The customer will notice a greater focus on detail and a greater attention on the types of things that they see and that they experience and that impact their commute every day.”

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