(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Transit board members voted Wednesday to confirm Kris Kolluri to head the agency, replacing Kevin Corbett who announced his resignation as chief executive officer earlier this week.
The former commissioner of the state Department of Transportation will step into the role after Corbett leaves on Jan. 15, according to a press statement from Governor Phil Murphy. It comes after Corbett said in a Monday letter that he has accepted a new opportunity with one of the “prestigious universities” in the state, and remain connected to the transportation sector. He has served as the chief executive officer for nearly seven years.
“As CEO of the Gateway Development Commission, Kris was an exceptional leader and a relentless champion for the Hudson Tunnel Project, who helped secure the largest federal investment in a mass transit project in our nation’s history and oversaw the start of construction on both sides of the Hudson River,” Murphy said in the Wednesday release.
Kolluri will be entering the position at a pivotal time for the transit agency. Chronic service disruptions for trains headed in and out of New York Penn Station this past summer have thrust both NJ Transit and its landlord, Amtrak, into closer scrutiny, causing lawmakers to push for further inspection as well as funds that would spur much-needed repairs along the rail corridor.
But securing that financing might be more difficult under the next administration, as President-elect Donald Trump has been historically unenthusiastic about shoring up more money for transit infrastructure projects — particularly for Amtrak.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.