Ronnie Hakim may take job with MTA

http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/201 ... ys_re.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be a big mistake by the MTA she is as dumb as they come.

Like one of the commenters to the article said, you cannot cut service and increase fares to a railroad and especially a commuter railroad. It happened on the LIRR when Hurricane Helena passed through, and it happened in this instance for NJT. Of the three railroads in the Tri-State area, only Metro North sustained and added service, and they reaped the rewards. The LIRR has already undone the service reductions implemented in 2010 under that management, and have also added on. That's where NJT needs to be going, not backwards from where they already are.

There need to be leaders who instead of balking to the thought of making a stand for the people will instead protest for them. For state run agencies, cutting things is not at the best interest of anyone, because it makes less money for the state and thus makes everything else go up in cost. There are way too many political hacks with there heads up their behinds to clean this stuff up, though. The fact that they have to take jobs in areas they have little to no knowledge in is no surprise considering they weren't good enough to get an actual spot representing something they could actually do competently.

I rather doubt that Ronnie is dumb. The MTA knows her because she worked for them as a lawyer before.

In the three years since "Sandy" I believe that Transit put back all the trains that it had to discontinue. Just now, it has discontinued some trains that didn't carry enough people to make them economically worthwhile. On the other hand, I see money wasted on Transit on things not necessary to running trains and buses.

It's official: http://www.mta.info/news-ronnie-hakim-n ... -americans

A familiar face to the MTA family will be returning...this time, to head New York City Transit. On Tuesday, MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast announced the appointment of Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim as the eighth permanent president of the agency, which moves more than 8 million daily customers on subways, buses, the Staten Island Railway and paratransit service.
Hakim is a career transportation professional who returns to the MTA after an earlier 23-year career at the agency. For the past year and a half she has served as the Executive Director of NJ TRANSIT, which operates 12 commuter rail lines, three light rail lines, 261 bus routes and Access Link paratransit service across the state of New Jersey. She previously served nearly four years as Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
...Hakim will begin serving as President on December 28. She replaces James L. Ferrara, the President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, who has been serving as Interim President of New York City Transit since the August retirement of Carmen Bianco.

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/pas ... roots.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's Jan. 22, and I am hearing Ronnie Hakim on a New York radio station, advising people about what the MTA is doing to cope with this snow storm. It's a novelty for me to hear her as head of the MTA.

Novelty? She wasn't even here for two years...