NEW YORK — Kenneth J. Bauer, the popular president of the Long Island Rail Road for more than two years, announced yesterday that he is leaving the job, reported Newsday.
Bauer, 54, a commuter from Lido Beach who regularly met with riders, said he is ready for a change after a 30-year career with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“I hope the customer has seen some change and improvements during my tenure,” Bauer said. “When you have done 30 years in the big house, sometimes you have to look for a change … I wish the customers all the best and enjoyed meeting them.”
It is unclear who will succeed Bauer, who was named the railroad’s 36th president in December 2000 after serving as interim president. Bauer will remain with the railroad until March. He said yesterday he expects to find other employment and may make an announcement next week.
His position as LIRR president first became uncertain last fall when the MTA announced a historic restructuring that included merging the LIRR with Metro-North. Bauer said yesterday that the merger had nothing to do with his decision to leave.
“I promised myself that I would want to do something else before I hang up my work shoes,” he said.
Commuters, employees and legislators reacted with disappointment to the news of Bauer’s exit. Under his tenure as president, on-time performance has improved to its best ever with more than 94 percent of trains arriving on time, improvements were made in climate controls and customer complaints were down. Bauer was also overseeing the railroad at a critical time as it introduced its newest fleet of cars in decades.
“I think it is really demoralizing for the customers and the employees,” said Beverly Dolinsky, executive director of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter’s Council, the group that grades the railroad each year after surveying riders. “He was a great president who tried very, very hard.”
Michael J. Canino, general chairman of the United Transportation Union, said Bauer’s absence will be a major loss.
“It’s the saddest day in Long Island Rail Road history,” Canino said. “He was the finest president the railroad has had times 10.”
State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) questioned whether the MTA did enough to keep Bauer on board.
“Long Islanders are losing a positive voice,” Skelos said. “He was accessible, he was hands-on, he commuted himself.”
And Matthew Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, the Island’s largest business group, said Bauer’s absence is a blow not just for commuters, but for the region.
“Ken not only ran the railroad better than it’s ever been run, but he also had rare vision about what Long Island needs for its future and that is very, very difficult to replace,” Crosson said.
Last year, when MTA officials announced the restructuring, it was not clear whether Metro-North and the LIRR would retain their own presidents. MTA spokesman Tom Kelly said yesterday he didn’t know if the railroads will keep their own presidents and the MTA was taking “one thing at a time.”
Crosson said the MTA would be making a mistake if it eliminated the LIRR’s president position.
In a written statement issued yesterday, MTA chairman Peter Kalikow called Bauer “an effective and talented manager.
“I’m indebted to Ken for making the Long Island Rail Road one of the greatest commuter railroads in the nation during the last three years while he served as its president,” Kalikow said. “His announcement today will give us ample time for an orderly transition. He will be greatly missed.”