'Train Daddy' Andy Byford Gets NYC Sticker Tribute

NEW YORK — He may have a rocky relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He's even considered quitting. But despite all the struggles of his job, Andy Byford can rest assured that at least one New Yorker loves him like a father.

An anonymous admirer has created stickers depicting the New York City Transit president as the Big Apple's benevolent "Train Daddy."

They show Byford's head attached to the front of a subway train in black and white, except for a pinkish hue around Byford's lips. "Train Daddy loves you very much," they read.

The tribute is an apparent show of appreciation for Byford's efforts to resurrect the ailing and aging subway system. Some 80 percent of subway trains ran on time in June for the first time since 2013, a significant milestone reached under Byford's leadership.

Read more: MTA embraces 'Train Daddy' Moniker

"I really liked what Byford was doing with the Fast Forward plan and felt like he needed some recognition and love in light of ... Cuomo treating him like s---," the person behind the stickers told transit blogger Benjamin Kabak.

Liz Baker spotted one of the stickers in Crown Heights and shared a picture of it on Twitter, where it drew delighted and horrified reactions.

"extremely cursed yet can’t help but (retweet)," one user replied.

"Like Thomas the tank engine but scarier and also great," wrote another.

Patch tried unsuccessfully to reach Byford's biggest fan through a Google form that New Yorkers can use to get one of the stickers. But the person told Kabak that the strangeness was intentional.

"It evolved into a joke between my wife and I talking about the train daddy and how he loves all his little train babies," the creator reportedly said.

The stickers surfaced just weeks after Byford reportedly submitted and then rescinded a letter of resignation to MTA brass. News reports indicated he had grown weary of Cuomo's micromanagement of the MTA, but their relationship appears to have softened recently. The Democratic governor called him a "get-it-done guy" with "New York mojo" at a news conference in September.

An MTA spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email asking how Byford reacts to the stickers and whether he embraces the title of "Train Daddy." But anyone who wants a sticker of their own can fill out this form to get one in the mail.