MTA releases reorganization recommendation report

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week released a preliminary report of recommendations for its first reorganization in 51 years. 

The recommendations, made following an evaluation conducted by consultant AlixPartners, are as follows: 

• Refocus MTA agencies exclusively on service delivery, safety, day-to-day operations and maintenance, rather than general support functions. The agencies should have reporting lines to a chief operating officer, and all other services will be merged and coordinated centrally. This would result in consolidation of more than 40 functional groups to six departments in the new MTA organization;
• Merge all capital-related functions across MTA into a central group accountable for planning, development and delivery of the capital program;
• Create a central engineering function reporting to a chief engineering officer to set standards, ensure quality and sustainability of infrastructure. This will provide consistent standards and specifications and eliminate unnecessary complexity and duplication;
• Create a central customer communication function to provide high quality and consistent customer engagement led by communications specialists;
• Centralize operating standards and service design. Currently, each MTA agency has its own internal operations standards and service design capabilities, which would be better managed under one integrated function serving all agencies;
• Create a centralized human resources department focused on attracting, developing and retaining the talent necessary to improve MTA performance and service; and
• Select new leadership roles and capabilities, including appointing a chief operating officer, chief transformation officer and an accessibility officer. 

AlixPartners interviewed more than 100 MTA employees representing all agencies and functions, reviewed MTA historical performance, financial and operational records and analyzed peer data published by the Federal Transit Administration and other resources to develop the recommendations, MTA officials said in a press release.

MTA leadership will brief the authority's board on the report this week. Then, the board will vote on the final report by July 30, as mandated by the New York State Legislature.