Howard Permut, president of the Metro-North Railroad, is expected to retire at the end of the month, according to the New York Times.
The report comes after a tumultuous stretch for the Metro-North that included two train derailments. In the past year, five people have died on and along the tracks and more than 100 passengers have been injured.
During a staff meeting Monday, Permut reportedly told colleagues he planned to step down from his position.
Joseph Giulietti, the executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, is expected to replace him. Prior to serving as the Tri-Rail director, Giulietti was a superintendent of the New York railroad, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
Permut, a member of the charter Metro-North team in 1983, spent his career contributing to what became known as one of the safest commuter rail lines in the United States. But two major train derailments last year shook the confidence of some passengers and drew the scrutiny of official agencies.
In May, a reported 73 passengers were injured in Fairfield after a train derailed and collided with another train. In December, four passengers died and 70 more were injured after a Hudson Line train jumped the tracks after speeding too quickly around a curve.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the derailments. A loose rail joint from a faulty repair is thought to be the cause of the May derailment, while a train engineer’s inattention likely caused the December derailment.
In addition to the derailments, a track repairman was struck by a train and killed in West Haven this year and an electrical power outage in September disrupted rail service for days.
