Andy Byford, the former president and chief executive officer of New York City Transit Authority, has been confirmed as London’s new Transport Commissioner.
He will join Transport for London (TfL) on 29 June, with the current Commissioner, Mike Brown, staying on until 10 July to hand over before he takes up a position overseeing the renovation of the Houses of Parliament.
In New York, Andy Byford was responsible for 50,000 staff and devised a $40 billion, five-year investment plan to renew the city’s transport system. Before that, he worked within a wide range of complex stakeholder and political environments in a transport career that has spanned over 30 years and three continents, including:
- Chief executive officer, Toronto Transit Commission, Canada;
- Chief operating officer & deputy CEO, Rail Corporation New South Wales, Australia;
- Director of operations, Southern Railway;
- Director of safety and operations, South Eastern Trains;
- Various roles at London Underground, where he started as a graduate trainee in 1989 before working his way up to general manager of customer service for the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “’I’m delighted to confirm Andy Byford as London’s new Transport Commissioner. Covid-19 has had a profound impact on public transport in London but Andy brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise to lead TfL as it faces this unprecedented challenge.
“I look forward to working with Andy as we build a greener city with clean and environmentally friendly travel, including walking and cycling, at the heart of its recovery.
“I would like to place on record my gratitude to Mike Brown for everything he has done for the capital since starting at TfL in 1989. I wish him the best of luck in his new role.”
Andy Byford, who is 54 and originally hails from Plymouth, said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of Commissioner and to have been chosen to lead the organisation where I started my transport career over 30 years ago.
“In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, all transport authorities around the world will need to reimagine how their services and projects contribute to the safe and sustainable re-start of the social and economic lives of the cities they serve. It is a huge challenge, but I know that Transport for London has some of the best people anywhere in the world and we will meet these challenges and will together help build an even better city for everyone.”
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