‘Green Signals’ with ‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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The popular U.K. railway podcast, Green Signals, offers an in-depth interview with Andy Byford, who ran the three largest transit systems on three continents and is currently Senior Vice President High Speed Rail Development Programs at Amtrak.
Host Richard Bowker CBE engages Andy Byford, nicknamed “Train Daddy,” about his career. He’s been Operations Director of Railcorp. in New South Wales, Australia; CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission; President of MTA New York City Transit; and Transport for London (TfL) Commissioner in the U.K., where he oversaw completion of Crossrail (Elizabeth Line), among London’s most ambitious and technologically advanced rail transit projects.
Byford “talks honestly and openly about all stages of his extraordinary career,” says Green Signals General Manager Stef Foster. “He talks about being the first non-U.S. citizen to run NYCT” and what led to his resignation:
“I found myself progressively sidelined, excluded from meetings, and my job was cut in half. All the capital element (Fast Forward) was taken away overnight. I was left running the day-to-day—not bad in itself—but even there, behind my back, my own direct reports would be given marching orders from the Governor’s* office on safety-critical issues, and that to me was intolerable. So, very reluctantly, I felt this had become something that was kind of intolerable. I just felt it just wasn’t going to work. So, after two fabulous years, I resigned. And my sendoff was the most humbling thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Byford describes a story about when then-Toronto Mayor Rob Ford phoned him in the middle of the night demanding that he speak to an angry passenger. He talks about how he became known as “Train Daddy” and how he feels about the nickname.
“What really comes across is his passion and determination for getting the basics right, for leading from the front, and for backing his people whatever the role, however large the organization, and whatever attacks they are facing,” notes Bowker. “It’s a truly inspirational story.”
*Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in disgrace a few years later amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
