Former New York MTA Chairman and CEO Tom Prendergast was honored as Railway Age’s 54th Railroader of the Year at a dinner of the Western Railway Club on March 14 at the historic Union League Club, Chicago.
Prendergast recently retired from the New York transit agency after a career spanning a quarter-century, where he also served as president of New York City Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. He has since joined STV Inc. as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer.
While acknowledging that other cities have as large a fleet of cars, Prendergast noted that none could match New York’s network of 473 stations, which serves some 6 million passengers every day.
Prendergast led the agency through its worst operating crisis during Superstorm Sandy, while also securing the largest capital program, $29.5 billion, in its history. He also presided over the opening of the Second Avenue Subway extension, a project 88 years in the making.
Click here to watch a video interview with Thomas Prendergast.
Also honored at the dinner were Railway Age’s Fast Trackers, 10 rising stars under the age of 40 who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company.