Metro-North President Howard Permut is expected to retire by the end of this month, as the company faces federal pressure to ramp up its safety systems after a deadly train crash in December, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Permut who has served as president of the Metro-North’ Commuter Railroad since 2008, will be succeeded by Joseph Giulietti, the executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the Journal said, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Metro-North could not be reached for comment.
Last month, federal regulators launched a 60-day safety assessment of Metro-North, operator of the train that derailed on Dec. 1 as it entered a sharp curve in the Bronx borough, killing four people and injuring 70 others.
The December train derailment was the latest in a string of problems last year for Metro-North, the second busiest U.S. commuter railroad in terms of monthly ridership.
The accident marked the first customer fatality in Metro-North’s three-decade history and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates Metro-North, called it a “black day” for the railroad.