Kris Kolluri was officially named the next president and CEO of NJ Transit at the agency’s board of directors meeting Wednesday morning.
It was confirmed Monday that Kevin Corbett would be leaving the role after heading the agency for seven years. His resignation is effective Jan. 15, 2025.
Kolluri previously served as the state’s Commissioner of Transportation, chairman of the NJ Transit Board of Directors and CEO of the Gateway Development Commission.
The new CEO will have to hit the ground running as the possibility of a locomotive engineer strike that is going through a lengthy mediation process in Washington, D.C. right now looms. Next year ― the final year of the Murphy administration ― will see work on the Gateway tunnel project continue and planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at MetLife Stadium enter its final stretch.
Kris Kolluri, Gateway Development Commission CEO, is shown, Monday, July 8, 2024, in Manhattan. Kolluri was near the Manhattan construction for the announcement of $6.88 billion in federal funding for the $16 billion Gateway tunnel project. The project will build two new Gateway tunnels and rehabilitate the two that already exist, Monday, July 8, 2024, in New York City.
Corbett, who will stay on in a “consultative capacity for 30 days” after his resignation to help with the transition process, spoke earlier in the meeting and said he was leaving to “pursue a new professional opportunity” and to spend time with his family.
“I am profoundly grateful for the trust Gov. [Phil] Murphy and this board placed in me and for the opportunity to work alongside an extraordinary team of more than 12,000 men and women dedicated to serving the residents of New Jersey,” he said. “I believe the ultimate goal of any CEO is to leave an organization stronger than when you found it and I know we have achieved that together.”
Murphy said Monday that running the agency is “probably the most difficult job in our government, maybe with the exception of mine” and that Corbett has “done a hell of a job under extremely tough circumstances.”
Earlier: CEO Kevin Corbett is leaving NJ Transit. He leaves behind a complicated legacy
A complicated legacy for Corbett at NJ Transit
Corbett’s tenure included working to fix an engineer shortage; buying new trains and buses; installing and testing positive train control before the final Federal Transit Administration deadline; and taking over and improving bus service left by private carriers.
He also initiated a successful pilot program to improve Access Link service with serious financial constraints amid the pandemic when ridership and revenue plummeted.
In 2023, the agency was awarded the coveted “most outstanding” public transportation designation from the American Public Transportation Association. The award highlighted the agency’s strides from 2020 to 2022, when NJ Transit continued providing service during the pandemic while many other agencies cut back. Delays and cancellations also dropped as more engineers were hired. And the agency made significant strides to bring people back to public transportation as people returned to work and recreational activities.
But in the years since, challenges have persisted and affected those gains. Trains have been breaking down from mechanical problems at unprecedented rates, and a 15% fare hike ― to be followed by 3% annual fare hikes ― came amid the worst summer of commuting since 2017.
Corbett worked to rebuild the morale among the agency’s 12,000 employees, most of which is unionized and secured new contracts with nearly all bargaining units in recent years. But after deciding to switch the company’s health insurance this year, much of the labor workforce is back on the offense fighting back against the agency’s cost cutting decisions impacting their members.
Corbett’s time at the helm was not without controversy. There was a spate of lawsuits and settlements from mostly female NJ Transit employees in bus, rail and the police force that allege they experienced sexual misconduct, retaliation and harassment at the hands of superiors.
He was also at the helm when the decision was made to move to an expensive new headquarters, owned by a politically connected landlord, as the agency approached historic deficits.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Kris Kolluri NJ Transit CEO