Interview With the Interim President of New York City Transit

Stephen Nessen sat down with Sarah Feinberg, newly appointed interim president of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), for an interview. Feinberg is succeeding the popular and relatively successful leadership of Andy Byford.

Nessen introduces Feinberg thusly:

[Feinberg] takes the reigns at a time when on-time performance is at the highest level in six years, but the MTA is also in the midst of a reorganization in which it hopes to cut 2,700 jobs -- including 700 jobs in operations, the workers she’ll oversee. Feinberg's background is in navigating politics in Washington, serving as special assistant to President Barack Obama, and senior advisor to Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. She was head of the Federal Railroad Administration for two years, and was chief of staff at the Department of Transportation for two years as well.

The interview that follows includes discussion of Byford, Feinberg's past experience, the transition to new leadership at the MTA, an the role of state political leadership in oversight of the city's public transit system, among other topics.