MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast Announces Retirement

One day after the Second Avenue subway finally opened to the public, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast announced he will retire in early 2017. His career spanned more than 25 years in posts such as NYC Transit president and Long Island Rail Road president. He had been the CEO and chairman of MTA since June 2013.

His announcement follows Sunday's opening of the Second Avenue subway — after years of delays and cost over-runs — which Prendergast called a "crowning achievement for the MTA."

"It not only changed the daily commute for hundreds of thousands of customers, it has helped change the face of MTA — showing the public we can meet the deadlines we set for ourselves," Prendergast said in a statement Monday announcing his retirement.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Prendergast is "among the finest public servants I have ever had the privilege of working with."

"The on-time completion of the Second Avenue Subway would have been impossible without Tom's leadership and relentless commitment to meeting the goal and is an incredible way to end his long and successful career," Cuomo's statement said.

The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Prendergast was planning his retirement and wanted to wait until the Second Avenue subway was complete.

Among the list of possible replacements the Daily News named were Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye, New York City Transit President Veronique (Ronnie) Hakim, New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Matt Driscoll, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, and former U.S. Transportation Secretary John Porcari.

Image via MTA