MTA

NYC Subway Boss Sarah Feinberg Stepping Down With MTA Post in Limbo

Feinberg, a former Obama administration official, was supposed to become chair of the MTA before state senate opposition

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Transit officials say a pandemic hiring freeze has impacted staffing and led to more delays for MTA buses and subways. NBC New York’s Adam Harding reports.

Sarah Feinberg is leaving her role as interim president of NYC Transit, she said Thursday, with the subway boss's promised future as chair of the MTA in limbo.

Feinberg told the New York Post her last day would be Friday. She told the paper it was a good time to move on and spend more time with her family.

The MTA confirmed Feinberg's exit but offered no other details on who would replace her or when.

In early June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was going to split the top job at the MTA into two posts, chair and CEO, and said he would name Feinberg chair of the agency.

But the state senate effectively rejected Cuomo's proposal, and while it hasn't been officially withdrawn yet, it's not clear if it will happen. Cuomo's office said Thursday that CEO-designate Janno Lieber will serve as acting chair and CEO, effective July 31.

Feinberg became interim president of the subway unit in Feb. 2020 after the departure of the much-loved Andy Byford.

A former MTA board member and head of the Federal Railroad Administration, Feinberg stepped into the role just as the COVID-19 pandemic was bringing the subway system to its knees.

“Now’s a good time to make my exit — and to either find other ways to serve, if the Senate chooses to act, or to or to move on,” Feinberg told the Post.

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