‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford to Join Amtrak

Train Daddy is back.

Andy Byford, the former New York City subway chief who earned praise from riders and transit enthusiasts for improving an antiquated system that had been plagued by breakdowns and delays, is returning to American rail next month as Amtrak’s senior vice president for high-speed rail development, the train service said Thursday.

The new position comes three years after Mr. Byford resigned from running the nation’s largest subway system amid a rift with then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who had hired Mr. Byford after declaring the subway to be in a state of emergency. In September, Mr. Byford stepped down as London’s commissioner of transport, where he had gone after leaving New York to oversee that city’s mass transit system.

“I am excited and humbled to be joining such an American icon,” Mr. Byford said in a text message to The New York Times on Thursday. “I had a number of job offers but Amtrak and high speed rail is where I want to be.”

Mr. Byford’s new position was reported on Thursday by Streetsblog.

In a city that does not easily warm to newcomers, Mr. Byford became a beloved figure in his two years as president of New York City Transit, the arm of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs the subway and buses. A self-described subway nerd from Britain, Mr. Byford had spent his career with transit systems around the world. He ran the network in Toronto and worked on systems in London and Sydney, Australia, before arriving in New York in 2017 with big improvement plans.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/business/andy-byford-amtrak.html