LIRR chief is leaving
Met.-No. boss in charge
Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng will resign on Feb. 25 — and he’ll turn over the reins to Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi, MTA officials announced Thursday.
Eng took over at Long Island Rail Road in 2018 after stints as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s chief operating officer and acting head of NYC Transit. He previously worked for the state Department of Transportation, and has been a public servant in New York for 39 years.
“I can retire knowing that I leave the LIRR well positioned for continued success with a dedicated management team and a tenacious workforce who are delivering the best train performance in LIRR history,” Eng wrote in his resignation letter.
Rinaldi, who took over as president of Metro-North in 2018, will run both of the MTA’s commuter railroads until a permanent replacement is found for Eng.
Rinaldi during a news conference Thursday highlighted that she grew up on Long Island in Huntington and knows the railroad well.
“I’m very grateful to be able to serve in this way and excited for the challenges ahead,” said Rinaldi.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said Rinaldi will help oversee the completion of the agency’s long under construction East Side Access project, which will bring LIRR trains to new platforms deep underneath Grand Central Terminal.
The new service is scheduled to open in December.
“You’re seeing the vision of regional connectivity, which benefits Long Islanders and people in the Metro-North region as well,” said Lieber. “I’m really optimistic, and there’s really nobody else that could do this job on a dime like Cathy Rinaldi.”